Somehow Denver’s NFL team keeps skimming by with last minute breakthroughs from Peyton Manning’s aging arm. It was an amazing feat by the Broncos’ quarterback, and especially the defense, but more importantly, Sunday’s win keeps Kathy Helm and the Colorado Health Institute’s other Broncos fanatics in good spirits for the next week.
CHI representatives will be out across the state and country this week. CEO Michele Lueck and Senior Director of Operations and Communications Deb Goeken are visiting Dallas for the annual National Academy for State Health Policy conference. They will come home with the scoop on what other states are doing to tackle health care costs and innovate under the Affordable Care Act.
Policy Analysts Natalie Triedman and Allie Morgan are road tripping to Salida on Thursday as part of our Highway to Health series. Our two experts will share data from the 2015 Colorado Health Access Survey focusing on Lake, Chaffee, Fremont and Custer counties. The presentation will provide analyses and feedback on all things CHAS: health insurance, barriers to care, oral health, mental health and more.
Jealous? Sign up for your very own presentation by clicking on the Highway to Health link above and we’ll come running! We hope to share our localized data and analysis through all of Colorado.
This year’s Colorado Access to Care Index is getting its final review this week. The index is designed to help communities across Colorado better understand access to care challenges and to guide conversations about how to address them. Each region will have its own index with scores on three categories: Potential Access, Barriers to Care and Realized Access. Stay tuned for the release date in late October or early November.
Like many Coloradans, we are waiting to see the 2016 insurance rates on the individual and small group markets. Open enrollment begins November 1, and it will be complicated by last week’s news that the Colorado Health OP will not be allowed to offer plans. Look to CHI for an analysis of the rates the day they are released by the Colorado Division of Insurance.
Remember that Hot Issues in Health Care is becoming an annual even this year. It will be held at the Inverness Hotel and Conference Center in Englewood on Monday, December 14. The conference highlights the most pressing issues before the legislature in 2016 and provides an opportunity for Colorado leaders to network and have important conversations.
While the attendee list has been filled, fear not, there is a waitlist! If you are interested in attending, email HIHC@coloradoheatlhinstitute.org with your questions or if you would like to be added to the waitlist.
Finally, another one of our own is getting hitched this weekend. Policy Analyst Emily Johnson is headed to the Santa Fe Art District for her artsy wedding. Attendees will have a chance to add to paint an artistic masterpiece while celebrating the wedding and drinking their red wine, an innovative addition to any wedding. Congrats, Emily! We wish you all the best!