AcademyHealth Stateside - September 25, 2008
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In this issue:
Welcome to State Coverage Initiatives St@teside E-newsletter
Through a Shift to Public Insurance, Fewer U.S. Residents Lacked Coverage in 2007
Massachusetts Sees 439,000 Newly Insured Residents During the Past 21 Months
Massachusetts Governor Signs Bill Focused on Cost Containment, Transparency and Efficiency
New Jersey Governor Signs Bill to Improve Access and Hospital Functioning
New Mexico Approves Modest Funding Increase to Cover Additional Children
Washington State Funds Health Record Bank (HRB) Pilot Programs
State Employees’ Health Benefit Plans Adopt Health and Wellness Programs
State Coverage Initiatives Summer Meeting
AcademyHealth’s Upcoming Events
Reports of Interest
New Mexico Approves Modest Funding Increase to Cover Additional Children
When Governor Bill Richardson called a special session of the
New Mexico legislature in August of this year, one of the goals was to expand health coverage. This session follows a multi-year policy development process that resulted in recommendations from the Governor that would have led to universal health coverage in the state. After the legislature failed to pass comprehensive health reform earlier in the year,
Richardson vowed to return to the issue in a special session. Prior to the session, he set a scaled-back goal of expanding health coverage to all children. He also proposed streamlining several health programs in the state to improve efficiency. When the special session finished in late August, the legislature had agreed to fund:
- $22.5 million for children’s health (including behavioral health) to increase the number of children covered through the Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) who are already eligible, but not enrolled; and
- $10 million to treat developmentally disabled children.
The governor failed to get agreement on additional coverage expansions despite a budget surplus in the state due to oil and natural gas revenues. He characterized the achievements of the session as “solid, good, and modest.” He has vowed to return to the issue with the next legislature.
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