USofCare releases innovative report encouraging states to advance equity through health coverage

At United States of Care (USofCare), listening to and learning from people’s needs and experiences with the health care system is at the core of what we do. It is clear from our listening work that inequities in the health care system persist. Tackling these inequities must start with understanding who is not being adequately served by the health care system and working to effectively address those gaps. It is imperative to adopt changes that better provide for people marginalized due to their race, sex, ethnicity, age, disability, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and additional aspects of their identity.

States have the opportunity to make real progress by pursuing legislation, regulation, and other policies to ensure health insurance coverage is increasing health equity and reducing disparities through approaches like costs, plan design, provider networks, and more. Actions that health insurance plans take can make important improvements toward health equity, ensuring that their millions of diverse enrollees have a fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

USofCare’s report, “Advancing Equity Through Health Insurance Coverage,” authored with support from Waxman Strategies, presents a menu of policy options for states to consider to advance health equity through health insurance coverage. In a companion piece, USofCare has created “A State Checklist for Advancing Equity Through Health Coverage,” that summarizes the report by listing policies states should take (in no particular order) to address health disparities and improve health equity. These policy solutions target insurance coverage through health insurance exchanges, public health insurance options, and state insurance markets more broadly.

Using these policy solutions to advance equity through health insurance coverage, we can tackle our shared health care challenges — through solutions that people of every demographic tell us will bring them peace of mind and make a positive impact on their lives.