Delaware

In 2000, the Delaware Health Care Commission received HRSA State Planning Grant funds to research and develop a strategy for providing access to affordable health insurance. The state of Delaware focused on improving the overall health of Delawareans, increasing the number of Delawareans with coverage, and providing a medical home for the uninsured.

Through the State Planning Grant, Delaware collected and analyzed new data on the uninsured and reviewed a number of policy options to expand coverage. Delaware modeled the cost and impact of several options and established an advisory group to consider long-term strategies to reach universal coverage. The original HRSA State Planning Grant created two focuses: developing options to expand coverage, and strengthening the safety net via the Community Health Access Program (CHAP).

In 2004, Delaware received a HRSA pilot project planning grant to update their plans to address the uninsured. Under the pilot, Delaware updated their data on the uninsured, convened a small business advisory committee, and updated the cost estimates for prior models and developed assessments of new strategies.

The Delaware pilot grant team established goals to strengthen the safety net via CHAP, and incorporate disease management and strategies to address health disparities in policy options. The HRSA grant also proposed to include strategies to improve health information technology in new policy options.