While politicians and pundits continue to debate the merits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), much of the real action in health reform has been happening at the state level.
State Coverage Initiatives, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation administered by AcademyHealth, has spent the last year helping states understand and then begin their own strategic planning process for implementation of the ACA. Today, SCI shares lessons learned from a year monitoring state health policy actions and assisting with the myriad implementation issues states face in its annual State of the States publication. Laying the Foundation for Health Reform, describes states health policy advancements over the past year and outlines the key tasks that lie ahead.
The report takes an in-depth look at state efforts to:
- Establish committees and task forces to study the impact of the Affordable Care Act and develop strategic plans for responding to its provisions;
- Implement state-based pre-existing condition insurance plans;
- Work with insurance carriers and the public to implement insurance market reforms included in the ACA;
- Improve premium rate review processes and considering the impact of medical loss ratio requirements;
- Collect data and planning for state-based health insurance exchanges;
- Reduce costs and improve outreach and enrollment efforts in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; and
- Undertake efforts to improve the health care delivery system and promote population health.