The State Coverage Initiatives program is excited to announce its collaboration on a new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) initiative, the State Health Reform Assistance Network (the State Network). The State Network will provide 10 states (Alabama, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Virginia) with intensive technical assistance to implement key health insurance coverage provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Technical assistance offered through the State Network will focus on setting up insurance exchanges, instituting insurance market reforms, expanding Medicaid to newly eligible populations, streamlining eligibility and enrollment systems, and using data to drive decisions. Technical assistance will be provided by leading national organizations and experts in the field of health policy and coverage. The State Network is directed by Heather Howard, J.D., the former New Jersey commissioner of Health and Senior Services, and is based at the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. In addition to providing technical assistance to states through the State Network, the Foundation will work with researchers and analysts to monitor and analyze the progress of state coverage gains. Recognizing that consumers’ voices will be critical to successful implementation, the Foundation will support consumer engagement in the policy development process in these 10 states.

The State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) program is working closely with Howard and her staff at Princeton on management and coordination of technical assistance for participating states.



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