Health Policy Research Update
A research paper in the current issue of Health Affairs proposes a state-based system for providing near-universal health coverage to uninsured California residents that uses state income tax filing as the primary enrollment and enforcement mechanism.
Under the plan, all tax filers would have health insurance, regardless of citizenship status. The proposal -- written by George Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and other Kaiser executives -- calls for increased funding for existing state programs, establishing new programs and finding new revenue sources to provide subsidized coverage for low-income tax filers.
This week's Health Policy Research Update also includes:
- Research on why more people who live in rural areas are underinsured compared with people who live in urban areas; and
- A study on how hospitals can generate substantial revenues by reducing ambulance diversion.