From the press release:
The Kaiser Family Foundation today released a report that provides an early look at state efforts to prepare for health reform.
Health Reform and State Workforce Challenges: An Early Look at Five States, authored by researchers at the Foundation and the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, examines the experiences to date in five states — Connecticut, Michigan, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Washington.
Key findings include:
* The state political environment and expected leadership transitions create uncertainties and are already factoring into state strategies on health reform implementation.
* State leaders dealing with an aging workforce, hiring constraints, and the toll from the recession see a need for additional staff and outside contractors to carry out the volume of work within the timeframe required under the reform law.
* Timely guidance and financial support from the federal government will help states successfully implement health reform.
* Key staffing challenges for health reform implementation are around designing insurance exchanges, handling expanded enrollment for Medicaid and state exchanges, and updating eligibility systems.
* Looking forward, federal health care reform offers a chance to restructure Medicaid eligibility determinations and improve program operations.