State High-Risk Pools: An Overview

Health reform bills passed in the House and Senate would create a national high-risk pool insurance program to offer health coverage to otherwise uninsurable individuals during the interim period between the enactment of legislation and the implementation of broader health care reform. This issue brief discusses the structure, operation, benefits and challenges of state high-risk pool programs and describes how temporary national high-risk pool would be created as part of health reform.

Issue Brief (.pdf)