State Spotlight: New York’s Essential Plan Expansion: A Novel Use of Section 1332 Waiver Authority

Dan Meuse, State Health and Value Strategies

On April 1, 2024, New York began covering residents in a new affordable coverage program made possible with a first-of-its-kind section 1332 waiver, reshaping the insurance market and allowing the state flexibility to design a program with people at the center. As a result of new federal regulations, the waiver approval, and significant work by state officials, over 130,000 New Yorkers enrolled in the Essential Plan Expansion with no premiums and minimal cost-sharing requirements in the program’s first month.