Best state in America: California, for its smooth rollout of the Affordable Care Act

By Reid Wilson, WashPost, June 26

The Affordable Care Act’s size and scope led to some incredible flops in states such as Maryland , Nevada, Hawaii and Oregon , where Web sites intended to help people gain health insurance coverage failed miserably. But other states fared better: Love or hate the ACA, California implemented the complex new law better than every other state. The software worked, red tape was cut, and sign-ups, for the most part, went smoothly.

In the Golden State, more than 2.5 million people signed up for coverage during the first six months of open enrollment. More than 42 percent of those eligible to sign up for care in California did so, a rate second only to Vermont’s. Medicaid enrollment in California jumped almost 16 percent, putting it in the top quartile of states. California was one of only six states to grow their private insurance rolls more than their Medicaid numbers, even after accepting federal dollars to expand Medicaid.

California’s success comes in large part because it broke down barriers between bureaucratic programs, said Edwin Park, vice president for health policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. It was one of five states to simplify Medicaid enrollment for low-income residents who receive federal food stamp benefits. And even before the open-enrollment period began Oct. 1, several California counties expanded their Medicaid rolls, ensuring that about half a million low-income residents would be covered immediately.

(More here.)