Colorado Health Institute Releases First Map-Based Report

The Colorado Health Institute released a report today that gives a detailed picture of Colorado’s uninsured populations through a series of 17 maps, an analysis revealing significant statewide variations in demographic and geographic characteristics.

 “The Colorado Eligibility Atlas: Mapping the Uninsured,” focuses on the uninsured Coloradans who are eligible for public insurance programs or for health insurance tax credits through the state’s marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado.

This is the first report entirely based on maps by  the Colorado Health Institute.

More than 307,000 Coloradans have signed up for health insurance – about 179,000 for Medicaid and about 129,000 for private insurance through the marketplace – as part of the Affordable Care Act. Even so, the Colorado Health Institute estimates that hundreds of thousands remain uninsured.

An analysis of the maps shows that three geographic areas, in particular, stand out when it comes to these two groups of the uninsured:

Northwest Colorado and the Mountain Resort Counties: The uninsured in these communities are above the state average for the percentage who qualify for tax credits even though they are employed; the percentage who speak Spanish at home; and the percentage without higher education. This most likely relates to the number of jobs in this region that are seasonal or part-time, paying relatively low wages and not offering health benefits.

Denver and the Front Range Urban Areas: The state’s most populous area – the Front Range urban corridor that includes Denver, Aurora, Boulder and Colorado Springs – is home to the highest numbers of uninsured residents who are eligible for public insurance or qualify for tax credits. Denver and its suburbs, however, also have among the highest rates of these uninsured who have less than a high school education, are unemployed and looking for work, or who speak Spanish at home.

 Eastern Plains: Communities in this region generally tend to have higher proportions of uninsured adults who are eligible for public insurance programs and also are unemployed and looking for work.  They are also more likely to have only a high school degree and to speak Spanish at home.

This analysis comes as Colorado begins to plan its outreach and enrollment efforts for the next open enrollment period for Connect for Health Colorado in November. Targeted strategies may help to increase the number of uninsured Coloradans who gain health insurance, a goal of federal and state health reform efforts.

Need more information?

The study’s authors, Jeff Bontrager, director of research on coverage and access, and Tamara Keeney, research assistant, are available for interviews. Jeff can be reached at bontragerj@coloradohealthinstitute.org or by calling (720) 382-7075. Tamara can be reached at keeneyt@coloradohealthinstitute.org or by calling (720) 382-7088.

 Contact: Deborah Goeken, Senior Director of Operations and Communications, goekend@coloradohealthinstitute.org or (720) 382-7094.