Abstract Text: In order to devise programs to assure access to insurance coverage for all citizens, the barriers individuals face in accessing insurance need to be understood. To achieve this understanding, Illinois created a multi-agency Steering Committee that worked in partnership with other stakeholders to identify the characteristics of the uninsured population and to develop a plan to increase access to health insurance coverage. Two state universities and the state health department collaborated to produce data, using research methods including a population-based survey of the uninsured, an expansion of the Illinois Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an analysis of existing data sets, a series of thirty-five focus group discussions with key stakeholders and twenty personal interviews with strategic informants throughout the state and an analysis of literature concerning approaches to reduce the number of uninsured. Throughout the planning process, the Steering Committee worked with numerous stakeholders in an Assembly model, adapted from Columbia University, for engaging in dialogue and establishing consensus. The projected outcome will be a plan including strategies that build on existing programs or create new mechanisms to reduce the number of uninsured in Illinois.
Learning Objectives: Describe the $1.2 million HRSA-funded multi-tiered plan to study the demographics and needs of the uninsured population and bring together stakeholders in all segments of Illinois society to develop strategies to reduce the number of uninsured in Illinois
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Policy/Policy Development
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Illinois Department of Public Health
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.