According to a study, A Progress Report On State Health Access Reform, published in Health Affairs, enactment of ambitious health reform laws in Massachusetts and Vermont in 2006 helped instigate a wave of state legislative activities to expand coverage to uninsured people. The study identifies thirty-nine states that have enacted laws in at least one access category since 2006. At least thirteen states have begun processes to enact comprehensive reforms to cover at least half of their uninsured residents. Key activities involve coverage expansions for uninsured children and for uninsured adults; regulatory changes in small-group and individual insurance markets; and individual and employer mandates. The future extent and durability of this wave are uncertain.
While at least 10 states have proposed legislation involving individual or employer mandates or both, only three have enacted such measures (Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island), the report noted.
Health Affairs 27, no. 2 (2008): w105-w115 (published online 29 January 2008; 10.1377/hlthaff.27.2.w105)
