Affordable, Quality Health Care for All

OVERVIEW

Jul 15 2008

Since 2003, at least three states - Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts - and the city of San Francisco have enacted legislation with the express goal of ensuring all residents have access to health care coverage. All of these initiatives, particularly those in Maine and Vermont, pursue a comprehensive approach to reform - addressing cost, quality, and access. These efforts have spurred action in other states, where lawmakers in Colorado, Washington, New York, Wisconsin, and elsewhere learn from and build on the experience of early leaders. This section discusses priorities for comprehensive reform, the road to reform, and model initiatives in key states, specifically Wisconsin.

From the Dispatch

New Health Insurance Plans Required to Provide Free Preventive Health Care

Jul 22 2010

New federal regulations were issued that will guarantee affordable preventive care services for millions of Americans. The new interim final regulations specify that new health insurance policies beginning on or after September 23, 2010, must include preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, as well as preventive services recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in their coverage plans. In addition, health plans will be prohibited from charging co-payments, co-insurance or deductibles for these services when they are delivered by network providers.

Bills on Single-Payer and Health Reform Implementation Move Forward in California

Jul 08 2010

California lawmakers worked feverishly at the end of June to move forward significant health reform legislation, including implementing new Medicaid rules for the next five years, setting a framework for establishing health insurance exchanges, and moving the state towards a single-payer health care system.

New Health Insurance Rules Hailed as Patient's Bill of Rights

Jun 24 2010

Marking the 90 day anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama used the occasion to announce the implementation of a Patient’s Bill of Rights. After meeting privately with health insurance CEOs and state insurance commissioners, the White House sent a signal to insurers and to the public that the President intends to monitor how the insurance industry responds to the law’s implementation. In warning industry executives to refrain from using the law as an opportunity to boost unjustifiable rate increases, the Administration unveiled new regulations that will govern how new consumer protection provisions are implemented.

Up and Running: States Implementing Federal Health Reforms

Jun 17 2010

The federal health reform law is only the starting point for achieving health care access for all Americans. Many states are already moving forward, not only on implementing the basic provisions of the Affordable Care Act in their states, but are also planning how to build on its framework to further expand coverage and rein in costs for their residents. The following are a few models of implementation and comprehensive reform underway.

States Decide on High Risk Pools

May 06 2010

The choice of whether or not to establish high-risk insurance pools represents the first major decision that states are facing with the March 2010 passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). While twenty-nine governors -- 22 Democrats and 7 Republicans -- decided to create the pools themselves, most conservative governors failed to take advantage of the option to shape health care for their constituents and instead just kicked the issue back to the federal government, which will establish its own high-risk insurance pool in states that fail to take action.

Anticipating Federal Reform, States Move on Reining in Insurance Abuses and Implementation

Mar 18 2010

Highlighting the outrage at insurance industry abuses pushing Congress towards a final decision on federal health care reform, state legislators continue to advance their own insurance reforms, even as they lay the groundwork for implementing the policies that will emerge in a federal bill.

States Move Forward on Health Care Reforms

Mar 04 2010

As Congress debates the last steps needed to pass historic comprehensive health care reform, state legislators continue to press forward their efforts to enact state reforms as well as lay the groundwork for implementing reforms in a federal bill. Here is a summary of some of the most recent developments taking place across the country.

Targeting Insurance Abuses as a Path to Federal Health Reform

Feb 16 2010

This Dispatch will: highlight a few of the state insurance reform campaigns underway and the health insurance problems they highlight; detail how to message these campaigns to support federal reform; provide a roundup of policy options and model bills for other states interested in moving similar insurance reforms; and end with a set of resources on the campaign, including national policy organizations, key reports, and bills moving across the country.

While DC Delays, States Move Forward on Health Care Reforms

Jan 28 2010

As Congress delays moving forward on the passage of comprehensive health care reform, progressive state leaders from across the country have been demanding passage of reform as critical for families across the nation. But that doesn't mean they are waiting; state leaders are moving forward, laying the groundwork for how national changes should be implemented, and creating the momentum for other meaningful health care reforms in their states.

State Leaders Weigh in on Final Health Care Reform Bill

Jan 07 2010

As the U.S. Congress enters its final push to enact health care reform legislation, state legislators working with Progressive States Network have been raising their voices to make sure key state concerns are addressed in final negotiations.

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