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At the beginning of the legislative session 120 days ago, it looked like Colorado hospitals had been dealt a bad hand. Legislators were gunning at the freestanding emergency rooms several hospital groups have been opening around the Front Range, the lieutenant governor wanted to open hospitals’ finances to public inspection, and worst of all, they were facing a $260 million funding cut through plans to shrink the Hospital Provider Fee.
Coloradans are angry about health care costs, and it’s easy to see why. The cost of care is steadily climbing and everyone wants someone to blame. At the state legislature, insurance companies seem to have taken a lot of that blame.
Data: Estimates of the non-elderly (ages 0-64) eligible but not enrolled (EBNE) in Medicaid, CHP+ and Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) by federal poverty level, language, race/ethnicity and ageUnits of Measurement: State, RCCO, County Time: 2015Sources: Multiple
Data: Estimates of children eligible but not enrolled (EBNE) in Medicaid, CHP+ and Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) by federal poverty level, language and race/ethnicityUnits of Measurement: State, RCCO, CountyTime: 2015Sources: Multiple
Data: Estimates of adults (ages 19-64) eligible but not enrolled (EBNE) in Medicaid and Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) by federal poverty level, language, race/ethnicity and ageUnits of Measurement: State, Regional Care Collaborative Organization, CountyTime: 2015Sources: Multiple
Today's amendments to the American Health Care Act do nothing to change the most significant part of the bill — a massive rollback of Medicaid.
Give a big hand to Colorado. Our state now boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.6 percent, well below the national average of 4.5 percent. The 40,000 new health care jobs added here since 2008, an impressive 28 percent increase, have played an important role in this achievement.
You don’t have to be an economist to understand that we like to see job growth numbers like these. More jobs mean more income for workers and businesses, which means more spending and investment, which means more income for workers and businesses. A virtuous cycle.
Lunchtime at CHI often finds the office Millennials swapping stories about annoying landlords, messy roommates or frustrating searches for starter homes. But even as we bond over the trials and tribulations of city living, we recognize how lucky we are to be able to afford housing as prices keep heading higher in metro Denver.