Things Have (Slightly) Improved

By Ned Calonge, MD, MPH, The Colorado Trust

I’m excited that today the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) has released the 2013 Colorado Health Access Survey data. The Colorado Health Access Survey, or CHAS, is the essential source of information on health insurance coverage for our state. Today’s release includes findings from the 2013 CHAS, with comparisons to the 2009 and 2011 surveys. This information, along with the repeat surveys planned for 2015 and beyond, will provide critical information to help measure the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Colorado.

This year, almost 741,000 Coloradans remain uninsured, or 14.3 percent of the state’s population. That’s the equivalent of people filling Sports Authority Field at Mile High nearly 10 times. The data in 2013 do paint a slightly better picture from last year by showing that more Coloradans are covered. In 2011, 15.8 percent (829,900) of Coloradans were uninsured and in 2009, 13.5 percent (658,000).

Additional findings show that of those who are uninsured, Hispanics are disproportionately uninsured. Around 26 percent of Coloradans identify as Hispanic, yet Hispanics represent 38.6 percent of the uninsured population, demonstrating one of the many health disparities that exist in Colorado. The Colorado Trust recently shifted its focus to reducing health disparities and creating health equity. These data exemplify the importance of all Coloradans having adequate health insurance in order to have access to health services, which are vital pieces to achieving health equity.

We know that good health depends on more than medical care. It is affected by where we live, the education we receive, the work we do, the wages we earn and by our opportunities to make decisions that improve our own and our family’s health. Working with CHI to share data from the 2013 CHAS will inform Coloradans and hopefully motivate and inspire policymakers and others to take action to improve access to coverage and care. We look forward to working with CHI on additional analyses and reports for the 2013 data in the months to come.

CHAS is administered every other year via a random sample telephone survey of more than 10,000 households across the state—providing detailed information that is representative of the five million-plus Coloradans. CHI manages the data collection, analysis and reporting for the CHAS.