Small Group Employer Participation in New Mexico’s State Coverage Insurance Program: Lessons for Federal Reform
12/01/2010
This Health Services Research article, published online in December 2010 and in print in January 2011, presents the findings of a Hilltop research project that identified factors associated with small group employer participation in New Mexico’s State Coverage Insurance (SCI) program. This article discusses administrative and cost issues that small employers considered when deciding whether to participate in the SCI program. It concludes that administrative and cost barriers to participation in SCI reported by employers suggest that the tax credit offered to small businesses under new federal provisions, which merely offsets the employer portion of premium, could be more effective if accompanied by additional supports to businesses. The study was partially funded by a grant to Hilltop and its partner, the New Mexico Human Services Department, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE).