On January 25-26, the State Coverage Initiatives (SCI) program, a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, hosted a winter meeting attended by more than 110 officials from 38 states and territories. The meeting, which took place in New Orleans, focused on the current policy debate regarding state and federal roles in health care coverage as well as in-depth discussions of strategies being undertaken by some states. Information about public coverage programs—including recent Medicaid reform activity—state strategies of merging the small group and individual markets, and strategies for enrollment, marketing, and outreach for coverage expansions were examined. Additional sessions focused on how Louisiana has been redesigning its health care system after Hurricane Katrina, how states are developing options to cover children, and how individual mandates and employer requirements may be used to expand coverage. To view the agenda and presentations, please visit: http://www.statecoverage.net/0107agenda.htm
