In this report, Edward Miller and the SHARE research team led by Vincent Mor (Brown University) present findings from their qualitative evaluation of Rhode Island's HEALTHpact initiative, which aimed to encourage take-up of health insurance coverage in the state's small-group market.  The program has seen only minimal take-up, and Miller and his co-authors explore the reasons why through an analysis of in-depth key informant interviews, enrollment data, and archival documents.  They conclude with a set of recommendations for future small-group reform efforts based on lessons learned from the Rhode Island experience, pointing to the importance of subsidies, broker and insurer support, well-resourced government outreach and oversight, and carefully-designed wellness incentives.

The authors have also written a more condensed issue brief based on this report.  Click here to view the issue brief.