Model Development
Workgroup

VA Uninsured
Uninsurance Facts
Geographic Regions

Knowledge Center
Library
Individuals & Families
Businesses
Policy Makers
Researchers

Workgroups
Data Workgroup
Model Development
Business Task Force
Community Outreach

State Planning Grant Model Development Workgroup

Focus and Goals

The SPG Model Development Workgroup will develop a prototype decision framework and decision process for selecting coverage option recommendations. This decision making model can be used to test potential policy strategies for expanding health insurance coverage. The SPG Model Development Workgroup will also analyze public comments on draft proposed option(s), revise, and finalize recommendations. The primary goals of the SPG Model Development Workgroup are:

1. Become familiar with coverage options for the employed uninsured that have been considered and/or tested by other states.

2. Consider the identified coverage options and brainstorm potential variations of those options and/or identify creative new options that have not yet been explored by other states.

3. List all the identified coverage options and assess the pros and cons of each one for Virginia. White papers will be developed to summarize the pros and cons identified by the SPG Model Development Workgroup and provide an overview of their anticipated economic impact. The white papers will be a living document and will be shared on the Virginia SPG website for public comment. Comment will be specifically solicited from members of the SPG Community Outreach Workgroup and the SPG Business Task Force along with their broader networks.

4. Review public comments received and provide input on if/how the white papers should be revised to reflect the comments received.

5. Review results from a synthetic estimate of employer-based health coverage in Virginia by business sector using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (MEPS - IC) and other existing data sources, and provide feedback on if/how the white papers should be revised to reflect these findings.

6. Review results from the Coordinated State Coverage Survey (CSCS), a household telephone survey designed by SHADAC for estimating health insurance coverage at the state level, and provide feedback on if/how the white papers should be revised to reflect these findings. The principal purpose of this survey activity is to estimate health insurance prevalence in Virginia and to describe the characteristics of the uninsured.

7. Provide the SPG Leadership Committee with recommendations for one or more coverage options that appear to be most feasible/have the greatest potential for success if implemented in Virginia. The option(s) recommended by the SPG Model Development Workgroup would undergo market analysis through focus groups, key informant interviews, and/or survey research to further test their viability and inform implementation plan development. One or more of the market tested options would be written into a formal business plan and submitted to the Governor's Office.

For questions or to get more information about the SPG Model Development Workgroup, please contact:

PJ Maddox, EdD (Health Services/Policy Researcher)
Professor
Director, Office of Research
Center for Health Policy, Research, and Ethics at George Mason University (GMU)
Phone: (703) 993-1982
e-mail: pmaddox@gmu.edu

Last Updated: October 3, 2005