States as Laboratories for Democracy
Instructions for the Written Assignment
It is clear from our look at the ACA so far, that its implementation has been somewhat rocky and that there have been many legal and executive challenges to its constitutionality along the way. Some of these challenges have altered the blueprint of health reform and generally speaking, the ACA has proven somewhat unstable under both political and legal attacks. This continues as we await a Supreme Court review and decision on a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that struck down the individual mandate, following the congressional amendment to the ACA that set the penalty for not buying health insurance at “0”. After reading Chapter 10 of the text, you can envision the uncertain future of the Affordable Care Act.
For this assignment, you will consider the potential role that states can play in expanding access to care through the development of either single-payer options or public option health insurance plans. Explore online resources and examine the proposals developed by Washington State, Colorado, and New York.
In a 4 page written response, consider the following points as you evaluate the structure for these plans and how each may or may not present opportunities for reform:
- What is the basis for each state proposal? Key objectives for each?
- How would each plan actually work?
- What stakeholders were/would be involved in the development and implementation of these policies?
- What barriers may be present to the success of each plan? Legal and/or financial hurdles?
- Do you think that there could be some unintended consequences if state plans were enacted?
- Would individual state plans (either single-payer or public options) effectively take the place of legislation on the federal level? Why or why not?
- How could successes and failures on the state level present lessons on the federal level about how to expand access to health care throughout the United States?
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