Our Work
July marked a troubling month for Coloradans who purchase insurance through Connect for Health Colorado. The Division of Insurance released proposed health insurance rates for 2018, and the outlook is not good. On average, premiums are expected to increase 27 percent.
Joe Hanel, CHI’s insurance rates guru and manager of public policy outreach, released an in-depth analysis of the proposed rates that you can read here. The bottom line — rising health care costs and uncertainty in Washington are likely driving the increase.
Federally Qualified Health Centers — commonly known as Community Health Centers, or CHCs — are often considered the backbone of the health care safety net. With support from state and federal grants, these clinics provide much-needed medical care to more than 740,000 vulnerable Coloradans all over the state. This year, for National Health Center Week, CHI is looking at some important developments in the past, present and future of Colorado’s CHCs.
All this year, it seems like I’ve been reading obituaries for bills that won’t die.
The Obamacare era is over! The House Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal is dead! Sen. John McCain cast the deciding vote to repeal the ACA! Wait, McCain cast the deciding vote to save the ACA!
My colleagues at the Colorado Health Institute and I have even written some of these obits ourselves.
I found my job at the Colorado Health Institute by typing “health policy Colorado” into Google.
CHI was the first search result. And in August 2013 it was looking for a research assistant.
The job description fit my skill set, and CHI seemed like the type of organization I wanted to work for. Most importantly, I had the same positive gut reaction that brought me from Boston to Denver after visiting my best friend at the University of Denver months earlier.
It’s been nearly four years since that lucky Google search.
Every other year, the CHI office experiences a surge of activity in September. We hustle back from Labor Day weekend to put the finishing touches on our favorite statewide questionnaire: the Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS).
It’s a new day, with a new Senate bill.
And the same story.
The first version of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was introduced early this year, and ever since that day, we at the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) have encouraged people to pay special attention to Medicaid. That’s still the case for the latest version of the bill that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released today.
Colorado’s Medicaid program — called Health First Colorado — provides health coverage for upwards of one fourth of Colorado’s population. And it’s about to undergo some major changes.
The evolution of the ACC. Since 2011, Colorado has been grappling with a seemingly paradoxical question: How do you improve the health of Medicaid members while reducing costs? Colorado’s response is called the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC).
Why are insurance premiums so high in Colorado’s mountain and Western Slope communities? Residents and businesses there are grappling with this question, and policymakers are searching for answers.
Could one of the reasons be that so many people in those communities lead active lifestyles that often result in injuries? It’s an explanation I’ve heard numerous times.
Studies show that climate change and health are linked. Rising temperatures, polluted air and extreme weather, among the most impactful results of climate change, threaten both physical and psychological well-being.
The health bill is delayed, but it's far from dead. Here's what we are watching.