Radical simplification: Disaster Relief Medicaid in New York City

In the four months following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, nearly 350,000 people signed up for Disaster Relief Medicaid. The process was quick and simple; applicants completed a one-page form and got a decision on the spot or the next day. While the program's success stemmed in part from the unique circumstances facing New Yorkers in the fall of 2001, Disaster Relief Medicaid was an experiment in radical simplification that demonstrated a new way of thinking about how to design a simple, effective public health insurance program stripped of the vestiges of welfare.