Briefs and Reports

No Wrong Door: Improving Health Equity and the Health Care Coverage Experience in Connecticut

Executive Summary

“No Wrong Door” (NWD): A system that allows consumers to apply for health insurance through different agencies, and then seamlessly routes them to the program that best meets their needs. Full implementation is critical in order for the affordable Care Act (ACA) to accomplish its goals.

The Connecticut Health Foundation commissioned policy research from the Urban Institute about projected gains for Connecticut with and without NWD in place. The concept and projected gains are depicted in the infographic below. We encourage you to download the brief for more comprehensive information and key policy questions.

The ACA alone will increase the number of state residents with health insurance. However, implementing the ACA with NWD would increase that enrollment figure by 13 percent, with the greatest advantage accruing to children and people of color. Once NWD is fully implemented, over the course of a year, 36,000 people who would otherwise experience periods without coverage would instead have continuous insurance.

No Wrong Door – Appendix A

No Wrong Door – Appendix B

Authors

  • Matthew Buettgens, Ph.D., is a mathematician leading the development of the Urban Institute’sHealth Insurance Policy Simulation (HIPSM) model. The model has been used to provide technical assistance for health reform implementation in Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Virginia, Utah, and Washington, and to the federal government.
  • Stan Dorn, J.D., is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Institute. He has worked atthe state and national level for more than 25 years on health care policy affecting low-income people, including issues involving Medicaid, CHIP, and other state and federal programs.