EFFECTS OF STATE REFORMS ON HEALTH-INSURANCE COVERAGE OF ADULTS

States have tried a number of strategies to reduce the growing number of uninsured people. These include Medicaid expansions and various ins urance reforms, such as low-cost plans, subsidized insurance products, risk pooling, open enrollment and continuity of coverage requirements , and community rating Using data from 1989 to 1994, we examine the im pact of such policies on health insurance coverage for adults. We find that few state policies have succeeded in increasing health insurance coverage. For those that work, impacts are very modest or are accompa nied by adverse effects such as crowdout. Implementing effective state policies to reduce the number of uninsured remains a great challenge.