Why These 3 States?

  • Voices for Health Care has been active in three states so far: Kansas, Mississippi and Ohio.
  • Many Americans view health care reform as a national issue - too big and complex to be addressed at a state level. But states have long taken the lead on important issues (e.g. labor laws, climate change, education); often these state level efforts become the blueprint for national action. While national health care reform will certainly be on the table in the coming decade, many state leaders feel it is important to act now, not wait for a national effort that may be years in coming. In addition, these state-by-state conversations can establish common ground for a national conversation.
  • Why these three states? In choosing where to conduct the ChoiceDialogues and Community Conversations, we opted for states with strong research and advocacy groups and well developed local networks that can engage communities. In addition, we focused on states where health care reform was on leaders’ radar, but where reform efforts had not yet reached the stage of legislation.
  • Our hope is to extend this conversation beyond these three states, and to provide insights that can help inform health care reform in other states and on a national level as well.