Politics and Policy in State Health Reform
This report by State Coverage Initiatives, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examines recent coverage expansion efforts in five states—California, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Through monitoring public reports and interviewing key figures the report analyzes crucial issues in health reform such as the systemic environment, financial challenges, policy development, the role of interest groups, and the role of political leadership.
The report finds that by far the greatest challenge to achieving successful state reform is securing revenue sources and controlling cost growth. Cooperation and input from the provider community is imperative to progress toward expanding coverage. Additionally, a lack of bipartisan political support makes significant progress on a fifty-state level very difficult. Strong leadership from the Obama administration provides hope that national health reform can be achieved despite these formidable challenges.
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