Presentation by Lynn Blewett, "Insurance Markets Under Different State Scenarios" at the National Governors Association meeting, "Health Care: Decision Points for States" on July 19, 2012 in Washington, DC.

This brief overviews the SHADAC Projection Model, a complex spreadsheet model that states can use to estimate the impacts of policy changes on health insurance coverage. 

The SHADAC Projection Model provides state officials with the flexibility to update baseline data or test different assumptions, and is based primarily on state-specific data.  This model was developed to address the need among states for analysis that is timely, state-specific, relatively inexpensive, and flexible for testing alternative assumptions to predict the coverage impacts of policy changes at the state level. 

Although the model was constructed specifically to help states project the coverage impacts of the ACA, the approach can be adapted to model the coverage impacts of other reform approaches as well.The brief highlights the model’s approach, data sources, assumptions, and model output.

This report presents findings of a survey conducted by SHADAC of State Medicaid Directors regarding state plans for and progress made toward upgrading Medicaid eligibility systems in light of national health reform.  The purpose of this study was to delve behind the user experience of Medicaid eligibility and enrollment to better understand the technical situations and upgrade issues the states are facing. 

The survey addressed a subset of issues of import to state and federal decision makers related to state Medicaid eligibility system enhancements. The survey results provide point-in-time (winter 2012) answers from 30 study states on issues relating to preparations to address federal eligibility system reforms, use of vendors, eligibility support for individuals who qualify for other non-health related programs, including social services, food and housing assistance, and integration with Exchanges.

The State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) program awarded nine new grants to fund research addressing health reform issues that states face as they work to improve coverage and access.  This is SHARE's third round of grants since the program began in 2007.  The new grants, which range in length from 12 to 24 months, will offer timely insights into a variety of health reform issues.  The projects will explore topics such as Medicaid expansion for childless adults, value-based insurance design for state employee health plans, approaches to health care coordination/integration, and the production of reliable small area estimates of health insurance coverage and access.  This document provides an overview of the nine grants awarded under the third round of SHARE funding. 

This presentation of SHARE-funded research was given by Derek DeLia, Associate Research Professor at the Rutgers University Center for State Health Policy at the 2012 State Health Policy and Research Interest Group meeting in Orlando, FL, on June 23, 2012. The analysis looks at the impact of the Affordable Care Act's young adult dependent coverage expansion on coverage among eligible young adults and, in particular, on those young adults targeted by prior state-level young adult dependent coverage laws. The authors find a rapid and substantial increase in dependent coverage overall and the possibility of a greater ACA impact on young adults targeted by prior state-level young adult expansions.

Download a PDF of the slides.