Low-income workers face the highest gap in health coverage; 37.3 percent were uninsured in 1999. Although employer-sponsored insurance covered many more low-income workers, state programs are very important to those without private insurance. We examined the wide variations across 13 representative states in public insurance coverage of low-income workers to develop insights into the reasons for the variations and to suggest strategies for encouraging states to expand public insurance coverage. The analysis suggests that expanded and better-targeted federal assistance coupled with greater state flexibility would be needed to achieve this goal. (Health Affairs 21(6): 231–43, November/December 2002.)
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