Achieving Universal Coverage through Comprehensive Health Reform

An issue brief released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded (RWJF) State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) program finds that the percentage of Vermonters without health insurance has decreased significantly since reform began in 2006, and insurance coverage in Vermont has increased more rapidly than in other New England states during this time. According to the brief, most of the increase in Vermont’s coverage is a result of expanded public coverage—enrollment in Catamount Health has increased sharply and steadily during the program’s initial months. Researchers also found that key stakeholders in the state were generally satisfied with enrollment levels to date, despite barriers to enrollment.