New Research Brief Reveals Health Insurance in Colorado by ZIP Code

Do you live in ZIP code 80023 in Broomfield? Chances are very, very good that you have health insurance. The same goes for ZIP code 80126 in Highlands Ranch.

These two neighborhoods are tops for health insurance coverage in Colorado. Residents under the age of 65 have just a 5.7 percent probability of being uninsured, the lowest in the state.

The news is much different if you live in ZIP code 81076 in rural Crowley County east of Pueblo. This is Colorado’s worst ZIP code for health insurance. Residents of 81076 have the highest probability of being uninsured in the state at 36.0 percent.

A new research brief published today by the Colorado Health Institute shows that it isn't just health that's local. Health insurance is local as well.

“Location, Location, Location: Health Insurance by ZIP Code,” delves into how the characteristics of a neighborhood impact the probability that a resident under the age of 65 will lack health insurance. It highlights the top 10 and bottom 10 ZIP codes in Colorado.

CHI is accompanying the research brief with an online interactive story map that provides detailed information on ZIP codes in Colorado. With one click, you can learn how your ZIP code stacks up for health insurance coverage.

This project involved pairing regional-level data from the 2013 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) with ZIP code-level socioeconomic factors. A logistic regression model developed by CHI then predicted the probability of being uninsured for each ZIP code.

The analysis identified six factors that are significant community-level predictors of whether residents in a given ZIP code are likely to be uninsured.

Listed in order of relative importance, they are: percentage of the population below poverty, percentage of the population that speaks Spanish at home, median age, unemployment rate, percentage of housing that is renter-occupied and average household size.

Understanding who has health insurance, and who doesn't, at a hyperlocal level can help state and local leaders hone in on the starkest disparities and better understand how to target Colorado neighborhoods and communities to increase insurance coverage. 

The 2013 data were collected before many provisions of the Affordable Care Act launched in January 2014. Findings from the 2015 CHAS are scheduled to be released in September. Following that, CHI will update the ZIP code analysis.

The CHAS is funded by The Colorado Trust. CHI fields, manages and analyzes the survey.

Need More Information?
Contact Joe Hanel, Senior Communications Expert, at hanelj@coloradohealthinstitute.org or by calling 720-382-7093.