State
For more than a decade, significant aspects of health policy decision-making have been shifting from the federal government to the states. Important decisions about Medicaid eligibility and benefits, children’s health insurance, hospital care for the indigent, and other health access issues are now made in state capitals instead of Washington.

At the same time, the number of uninsured Americans – and those with inadequate coverage – continues to rise, while health care reform efforts at the federal level are stymied. Taken together, these realities have prompted a focus on states as the place where health policy is most likely to be made.

Advocates in each of the six New England states are working to protect and enhance healthcare coverage for their children. Some states are working to expand coverage for older youth, while other states are advocating for greater access to comprehensive mental healthcare services, and still other states are working to role back harmful cuts that have been made in previous years. The six state agendas are each crafted individually and independently. However, we know that best practices learned in one state can provide valuable lessons for advocates in neighboring states. The New England Alliance for Children’s Health seeks to share these lessons, as well as provide policy, communications and strategic support for each of the New England states.