Secrets to Success: An Analysis of Four States at the Forefront of the Nation’s Gains in Children’s Health Coverage
January 18, 2012
Authors: Jocelyn Guyer, Tricia Brooks, and Samantha Artiga
Published by: The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
The uninsured rate for children dropped to 8% in 2010, the lowest point ever achieved since the federal government began tracking this statistic in 1987. The following issue-brief attempts to gain an increased understanding of factors contributing to the success in coverage of children by conducting site visits and interviews with key stakeholders in four states: Alabama, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Oregon. The authors examine the experiences of these states and find common themes that underlie the success: the importance of political leaders making children’s coverage a priority, expansive eligibility levels, and adoption of a simplification strategies. The experiences of these states provide important lessons learned for efforts to cover children in other states and may help inform efforts to enroll newly eligible individuals under the coverage expansion in 2014.
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