Access To Health NewsIrene M. Ibarra, President and CEO and Dr. William Maniatis, Chairman of the Board of Trustees

DEAR FRIENDS OF THE COLORADO TRUST,

Over the last few weeks we received some very positive news. The Colorado Legislature passed the Healthcare Affordability Act, H.B. 1293, which will bring in an estimated $1.2 billion annually – $600 million from a fee paid by Colorado hospitals, and $600 million from a federal match – to provide coverage for more than 100,000 of the 800,000 uninsured Coloradans. The Trust was pleased to support the initial research that ultimately led to the development of this legislation.

At the same time, we also are seeing important gains being realized through the work of other Trust grantees. As featured in this newsletter, the Colorado Children’s Healthcare Access Program has helped to increase from 20% to 90% the number of Front Range doctors who care for children enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus. Now they are poised to help providers in the rest of the state make similar gains. Additionally, a new set of Trust grants is supporting safety-net clinics to help them provide timely, comprehensive health care services to an estimated 18,000 children who do not now have access to care.
 
So much passion and commitment, a lot of smart thinking and a great deal of hard work go into the gains we make along the road to achieving access to health for all Coloradans. And while it’s important to celebrate each win, we need to remain mindful that there is much work yet to be done. As we acknowledge the improved opportunity for 100,000+ Coloradans to access health care services, we need to also remember that 700,000 people in our state remain without coverage – and this number is growing along with rising unemployment.

Perhaps our biggest challenge lies in ensuring that we don’t forfeit the gains that have been made. Yet this is a real possibility given our state’s fiscal challenges. The bottom line is that we cannot significantly improve our health care system – and sustain those improvements – without also addressing Colorado’s financial future. We can – and must – keep our resolve and work together to find long-term solutions that address both the human and financial aspects of health coverage and care for the people of Colorado.

Sincerely,

Irene M. Ibarra

 

 

Irene M. Ibarra
President and CEO