Title Details

The number of people without health insurance is growing across America, as rising health care costs strain the ability of business and government to provide coverage. Addressing increasing numbers of uninsured and underinsured is complicated, and requires community-based, local solutions that mesh with state and national initiatives. Out of the Box and over the Barriers presents a framework for communities to use in crafting local strategies to address their uninsured and under-insured. Out of the Box does not prescribe strategies or programs. Rather, it guides communities through a discovery process, which leads them to viable interventions suited to their unique economic, political, and provider circumstances. Out of the Box illustrates the tasks of initial community organizing, generating political will for change, and studying the local uninsured population and trends. Next, it presents a framework to use in analyzing whether programs and models used elsewhere might be effective in a given community. Guidance on program design and implementation follow. Out of the Box is based on the successful experiences of Muskegon County, Michigan, and other initiatives around the country. The framework has been used to craft uninsured programs of every sort, from 3-share models to voluntary efforts and everything in between.