A report published by the Urban Institute examines lessons learned from previous health care coverage expansions, noting that many expansions fail to enroll eligible uninsured individuals.  The authors recommend using existing government data, including federal income tax data, to verify eligibility for national health care reform programs.  In addition, the authors recommend funding community-based organizations to help uninsured individuals learn about and apply to new health care programs.

From the report:

This issue brief reviews how programs providing health coverage and other benefits frequently fail to reach a large proportion of eligible individuals when these programs use traditional approaches to eligibility determination and enrollment. It then explores how, by applying 21st-century methods of eligibility determination that grant benefits based on data matches rather than traditional application forms, several innovative programs have increased enrollment, lowered administrative costs, cut red tape, and reduced errors. The paper finally analyzes how policymakers could apply similar 21st-century approaches to national health reform. The most important such strategy uses federal income tax forms to identify the uninsured, determine their eligibility for assistance, and begin the process of enrolling them into coverage.

Full report: Applying 21st Century Enrollment Methods to National Health Care Reform (PDF | 366.93 KB)

Urban Institute. (2009). Applying 21st century enrollment methods to national health care reform. Dorn, S.