News Release

March 8, 2007


BSU Teams with Milliman to Find Best Way to Help Uninsured in Idaho

Boise State University’s Center for Health Policy and Milliman, a global consulting and actuarial firm, are looking at ways to increase access to health coverage for low-income Idahoans. This public-private collaborative has been awarded a $167,000 contract from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare funded through a federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The BSU principal investigator is Ed Baker, director of the Center for Health Policy, and the Milliman principal is Tim Barclay.

Idaho currently administers two premium assistance programs: Access to Health Insurance and the Access Card, both implemented in July 2005. The purpose of this project is to gather information on alternative ways to structure, fund and administer a premium assistance program, with the goal of making it accessible to more Idahoans.

“These public-private collaboratives can bring the best resources to bear to address significant social issues, such as the ability to access the health-care delivery system,” said Baker. Barclay adds, “We are excited about working with the Center for Health Policy on this project that has the potential to materially impact health care in Idaho.”

Programs currently in place in six other states will be examined to determine how each might operate if implemented in Idaho, including costs, advantages and disadvantages. Those states are Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Oregon, New Jersey, New Mexico and Michigan.

Nearly 46 million Americans do not have health insurance, including more than 8 million children, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Eight in 10 of those people are in working families but cannot afford insurance. Each year an estimated 18,000 people die because they cannot get the medical care they need.

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Contacts: Ed Baker, Center for Health Policy, (208) 426-3118, ebaker@boisestate.edu; Tim Barclay, Milliman, (206) 504-5603, tim.barclay@milliman.com
Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Communications, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu

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Last reviewed on Tuesday, April 10, 2007