Health affairs blog post: 1332 waivers and the future of state health reform.

Waivers, research, and health system reform.

Innovation waivers: an opportunity for states to pursue their own brand of health reform.

States have long been the testing ground for new models of health care and coverage. Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act, which takes effect in less than two years, throws open the door to innovation by authorizing states to rethink the law's coverage designs. Under State Innovation Waivers, states can modify the rules regarding covered benefits, subsidies, insurance marketplaces, and indiv...

Insuring the poor through Section 1115 Medicaid waivers.

With the demise of health care reform at the national level, much of the attention has shifted to state-level efforts. Recently, several states have begun looking to the Medicaid program as a way to solve their health care problems. A principal way in which states are implementing health care reform is through the Section 1115 research and demonstration Medicaid waiver program. The 1115 waiver ...

State Health Reform and the Role of 1115 Waivers

This article summarizes the status of State health reform and includes a table of major initiatives undertaken by each State. The Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA's) role in reviewing State waiver proposals is analyzed, and the author examines why States are likely to continue to seek section 1115 waivers, absent Federal health care reform. The often conflicting roles and responsibi...

Medicaid Expenditures and State Responses

This overview summarizes issues addressed in this issue of the Health Care Financing Review, entitled "Medicaid and State Health Reform." Articles cover the following topics: growth in the level of expenditures for Medicaid and creative financing strategies by States to manage these increases; section 1115 demonstration waivers; States' experiences with implementing approved section 1115 demons...