Click on a state for more information on expansion efforts.

Maryland
On November 19, 2007, during the close of the Maryland Legislature’s special session, the State Assembly passed the Working Families and Small Business Coverage Act of 2007 (SB 6), a proposal that significantly expands Medicaid eligibility for adults and helps uninsured small businesses afford coverage. Click here for more.

Montana
In 2005, Montana established the Insure Montana program to help small businesses with their health care costs. And in 2007, the state expanded eligibility for its Children’s Health Insurance Program, extending coverage to more than 3,000 children. Click here for more.

Utah
In Utah, a coalition called U-SHARE is bringing diverse stakeholders together to develop a plan for comprehensive health care reform. Click here for more.

California
In December 2007, after nearly a year of tough negotiations and several failed attempts to pass a comprehensive health reform bill, Governor Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez compromised to create The Health Security and Cost Reduction Act (ABX1 1). At the tail end of a special session, the California General Assembly passed the bill, but it died in committee in the Senate in mid-January. Click here for more.

Connecticut
After the failure of several health coverage expansion bills, Connecticut has some good news: The HealthFirst Connecticut and Healthy Kids Initiative (SB 1484) became law on June 19, 2007. The bill will expand eligibility for state health programs, increase reimbursements for Medicaid providers, and improve the state’s electronic health information systems. Click here for more.

Colorado
Colorado's Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform evaluated five different comprehensive health care reform proposals and made its final recommendations to the state legislature. Click here for more.

District of Columbia
Washington, DC has expanded its Medicaid program, increased Medicare Part D low-income subsidies, and created a health coverage program for childless adults called the DC HealthCare Alliance. Currently, the DC Department of Health is hammering out the details of a health coverage program for residents with incomes up to 300 percent of poverty ($51,510 for a family of three in 2007). Click here for more.

Illinois
In 2006, Illinois implemented Governor Blagojevich's All Kids program, becoming the first state in the nation to offer health coverage to all children. The governor’s plan to extend coverage to the state's 1.4 million uninsured adults, called Illinois Covered, has not been signed into law, but the administration has implemented portions of the reform. Click here for more.

Indiana
In fall 2006, Governor Daniels proposed a new health care plan involving health savings accounts (HSAs) to cover the state’s uninsured. The plan was signed into law on May 10, 2007. It uses state cigarette taxes as a source of funding. Click here for more.

Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Health Reform of 2006 requires everyone in the state to obtain health insurance—if affordable coverage is available. In order to increase access to health coverage, the state expanded MassHealth (the state’s combined Medicaid and SCHIP program), introduced private insurance subsidies, and created an agency to help uninsured people find affordable coverage. Click here for more.

Maine
In June 2003, Governor Baldacci signed Maine’s Dirigo Health Plan into law, striving to cover all of the state’s uninsured residents. In 2007, the State Supreme Court upheld the legality of Dirigo’s unique funding mechanism, and the 2008 legislature passed new funding mechanisms to support the program. Click here for more.

Minnesota
On May 25, 2007, Governor Pawlenty signed HF 1078 into law, which will extend health coverage to 30,000 children and 20,000 adults in Minnesota. The state has also received recommendations from two commissions regarding strategies to reduce health care spending, improve quality, reduce disparities, and ensure that all Minnesotans have health coverage by 2011. Click here for more.

New Mexico
The Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee (HCNMC) was created to identify health coverage models that could realistically lead to universal coverage in New Mexico. After evaluating several different proposals, the committee released its recommendation on June 25, 2007. Click here for more.

New Jersey
New Jersey lawmakers have drafted a proposal to provide health insurance to all of the state’s uninsured. If implemented, the proposal is expected to provide health coverage for up to 1.4 million people through a combination of public and private reforms. Click here for more.

New York
In April 2007, Governor Spitzer announced that he plans to expand eligibility for the Child Health Plus program as the first step toward covering all of New York’s uninsured children. In addition, the governor recently signed legislation that will allow small businesses to purchase coverage for their employees through Family Health Plus, the state’s public coverage program. Click here for more.

Oregon
On June 28, 2007, Governor Kulongoski signed the Healthy Oregon Act into law, establishing the Oregon Health Trust Board. The board is responsible for developing a comprehensive health reform plan and designing an insurance pool for individuals and businesses. Click here for more.

Pennsylvania
In January 2007, Governor Rendell introduced Prescription for Pennsylvania, a proposal that would significantly expand health coverage for low- and middle-income families. The Prescription for Pennsylvania plan includes a public-private coverage partnership called Cover All Pennsylvanians (CAP), a cost-containment agenda, and a quality improvement platform. Click here for more.

Vermont
In May 2006, Vermont enacted two health reform laws collectively known as Catamount Health. The laws, which are currently being implemented, expand public coverage, create a more affodable private coverage option, improve care for people with chronic illnesses, and introduce new consumer protections. Click here for more.

Washington
Washington has once again made important progress toward making health care more affordable and accessible. S.B. 5261 allows the Insurance Commissioner to review premium increases in the individual market, and S.B. 6333 will bring in a consultant to model several proposals for comprehensive health reform. Click here for more.

Wisconsin
In November 2007, Wisconsin lawmakers successfully enacted Governor Doyle’s BadgerCare Plus plan, which will make health coverage available to all uninsured children in the state. The plan expands health coverage to children of all income levels, parents/caretakers, and pregnant women in Medicaid and BadgerCare. Click here for more.