Before reading any further, please take a moment to read “Rates on a Roller Coaster: A Look at Colorado’s 2016 Individual and Small Group Insurance Premiums.” The analysis by Senior Communications Expert Joe Hanel was released Friday afternoon, soon after the Colorado Division of Insurance released the final 2016 insurance rates.
Joe delves into how the rates will differ around Colorado – including a whopping 25.8% average increase on the western Slope. He breaks down rate changes by carrier. And he talks about what all this might mean for subsidy levels on plans purchased through Connect for Health Colorado during the next open enrollment period beginning November 1.
Now, back to the future. The 2015 Access to Care Index, a collaborative project of the Colorado Health Institute and the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved, will be released this week. The index rates Colorado, and smaller regions of the state, on a scale of one to 10 in three categories: Potential Access to Care, Barriers to Care, and Realized Access. The last index, based on 2013 data, had an overall access score of 7.7. Follow us on Twitter (@COHealthInst) for the launch date.
Research Analyst Tamara Keeney and Policy Analyst Emily Johnson will present to medical school students at Anschutz Medical Campus Wednesday. The presentation is part of the Rural Grand Rounds’ Impact Series and will highlight findings on health in rural Colorado from the 2015 Colorado Health Access Survey.
Senior Director for Policy and Analysis Amy Downs will be joined by Joe Hanel in Minneapolis where the two will share Colorado’s experience with Long-Acting and Reversible Contraception (LARC). The presentation is part of a series of conferences organized by the Milbank Memorial Fund. Next up in the queue: Nashville, Tennessee.
Policy Analysts Natalie Triedman and Allie Morgan continue CHI’s Highway to Health series but this week with a hoppy twist. They are headed to Fort Collins for a presentation at Odell Brewing Company. It’s scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, at the brewery, which is at 800 E. Lincoln Avenue. As always, the data will be locally focused, giving the facts on health in FoCo’s region in Colorado.
Remember we want to present to you about your area of Colorado. Sign up for your own presentation here. And don’t hesitate to host us at your favorite local brewery to be accompanied by local data.
This week not only marks Halloween Week, but a bittersweet good-bye to two CHI members. Research Analyst Hannah Wear and Senior Analyst and Communications Specialist Anna Vigran are departing for new adventures. CHI’s annual pumpkin carving event is our final celebration for all of their amazing work. We wish them all the luck on their new journey.