Affordability in Colorado

Affordability and access to high quality health care are fixtures in Colorado’s policy debates. The topic affects everyone and influences our health and our financial stability.

Policy makers seeking solutions will need to grapple with an interconnected health care system that consists of many stakeholders, including patients, physicians, hospitals, insurance carriers, and state and federal governments.

The Colorado Hospital Association commissioned the Colorado Health Institute to develop this question-and-answer document on seven basic but important questions that often emerge in discussions about health care affordability. The list of questions does not cover every important topic related to affordability, but the goal is to provide a basic understanding of several elements of the health care landscape to foster dialogue on steps Colorado can take to address its health care challenges.