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SCI to Highlight Work of the Massachusetts Health Connector
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From SCI
January 14, 2010
The Massachusetts Health Connector Authority issued a press release today announcing a meeting they are hosting next week with State Coverage Initiatives (SCI). The meeting will highlight the innovations of the Connector, discuss its successes and failures, and guide state officials who are considering similar exchanges or connectors in their own states.
We began planning this meeting with the Connector Authority late last fall. They reached out to AcademyHealth and SCI because they had received the prestigious 2009 Innovations in American Government Award, given by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The award recognized their role in reducing the uninsurance rate in Massachusetts to 2.6 percent. It came with grant funding that was to be used to disseminate the best practices developed by the Connector Authority.
The call from the Connector Authority came at a great time for SCI. We were already thinking about ways we could help states respond to the possibility of federal reform, and we were already planning a focus on exchanges and other insurance reforms. The meeting will be a first step in a series of briefs, webinars, and meetings that SCI will host in the coming months.
In working with Jon Kingsdale and his staff at the award-winning Connector Authority, several things have been striking:
- The commitment to innovation throughout the Connector staff—they are dedicated to learning as they go, applying those lessons and continually improving the organization.
- The transparency and openness of the Connector Authority, particularly through their Board. The Massachusetts reform initiative has maintained high public support throughout its three years plus of implementation. This is no small feat. It is due in part to the openness with which they have made decisions.
- The Connector Authority has worked well with stakeholders. Their decisions are informed by extensive conversations with small businesses and others who would utilize their products. They acknowledge that they are running a consumer-oriented business and conduct themselves accordingly.
We look forward to the meeting next week! Watch for more to come from SCI on this topic.
Our hands-on technical assistance is confidential, non-partisan, and supported by RWJF, so there is no cost to the state.



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