Expanding Health Care Coverage

Grantee Name

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Publication Date

June 2011

Grant Amount

$312,806

Grant Date:

September 1, 2007—January 8, 2009

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This focus suggests the need for closer analytical assessment of State activities aimed at improving cost and accessibility in the small group market.

In the first of two grants from the New York Health Foundation’s Coverage Consortium initiative, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government conducted an in-depth analysis and investigation of the applicability of various initiatives and policy options for New York State.

This project was part of a larger NYHealth Coverage Consortium that funded 10 grants to seven universities, policy institutes, and community agencies across the State, supporting projects that could inform State health reform efforts, offer ways to streamline enrollment in public programs, significantly reduce costs and improve quality, and test ideas for expanding coverage among small employers, sole proprietors, and self-employed people.

Read an NYHealth special report that contains a summary of findings from this consortium.

Read about the second of two grants to the Rockefeller Institute from the NYHealth Coverage Consortium initiative.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Reviewed existing information on states’ experiences with small group reform and a national assessment of current state small group activities.
  • Conducted working seminars targeted at State officials and policymakers that addressed the major challenges expected to arise from attempts to improve the small group market and identified those issues most likely to be relevant to public discussions in New York.
  • Produced a report, “From Access to Affordability: A Summary of State Strategies to Provide Private Health Insurance to Small Businesses,” which found three categories that policies fall into: to increase supply, to simplify administration, and to provide subsidies.
  • Produced a report, “Implementing Small-Group Market Reforms: Lessons from the States” that identified implementation challenges faced by states.
  • Conducted field research in Maine, Minnesota, and New Jersey to identify factors that increased the successful implementation of reforms.
  • Convened two public forums.