One 1989 study found that extending risk pool insurance nationwide would have cost less than one-tenth of one percent of the total national health care bill that year. Some states have trouble finding even the relatively small amount of money risk pools need. For that reason, states should be allowed to use money from a Medicaid block grant to fund their risk pools. In return, the states should be required to provide risk pool coverage to individuals without imposing a preexisting condition exclusion period. Creating Medical Savings Accounts.
Most individuals remain uninsured for relatively short periods.
Half of them regain health insurance within six months, with only about 18 percent remaining uninsured for more than two years. Creating New Opportunities for Small Groups. About 85 percent of the uninsured are in families with at least one employed worker, but many of these workers are with very small firms burdened by high health insurance costs. One way to address this problem is to give small employers access to the lower premiums paid by large groups and self-insured organizations. Following Washington State's example, other states should permit associations, small business alliances or purchasing cooperatives to provide insurance to small companies.