Colorado Health Access Survey | Colorado Health Institute

Colorado’s Best Source of Insight and Information About Health, Coverage, and Care

Now Available: Full 2023 Survey Results

The initial 2023 CHAS release includes data on insurance coverage, mental health, climate and health, affordability, long COVID, and disrespect in health care, as well as information on social factors such as housing stability and food security. Come back regularly as we continue to analyze and post our findings throughout 2024.

The Colorado Health Access Survey – the CHAS – is the premier source of information on health coverage, access to health care, and the factors that influence health in Colorado.

Roughly 10,000 randomly selected households in the state have participated every other year since 2009, allowing comparisons across a time marked by sweeping changes in health policy. The 2023 survey asked new questions on issues including long COVID, broadband access, climate change, and access to reproductive care. The survey provides a credible source of information about key trends and challenges facing Coloradans that is not available through any other source.

2023

2023 CHAS

The government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic brought emergency rules that kept Coloradans housed and enrolled in Medicaid. Now that these policies have expired, Coloradans are backsliding on key health outcomes. The 2023 CHAS findings show what we can achieve through public policy and how those gains are already being reversed.

Survey History

The CHAS Data Dashboard

Explore data on a variety of topics from 2009 to the present and make comparisons among demographic categories of your choice. This dashboard is best viewed on a desktop.

Click here to view the dashboard on a full-width screen.

Support the Colorado Health Access Survey

The CHAS is for all of Colorado, and it takes people from all around Colorado to make it happen. If the CHAS has made a difference in your work, please let us know how. Contact Kristi Arellano.

“Considered the gold standard for numbers on how people interact with the state’s health system.”

“5 Numbers that Explain Why Colorado Lawmakers Need More Insight into Prescription Drug Costs” Colorado Sun, Feb. 12, 2020

Colorado’s Essential Health Survey

The CHAS plays a central role in efforts to improve health for everyone in Colorado.

In the past decade, the survey has measured the effects of the Affordable Care Act and identified work left to do to improve access to health care. It has examined social factors such as housing, food access, and discrimination in health care and measured the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023 the CHAS reveals substantial changes in health, health access, and social stressors caused by COVID-19 and pandemic-related policies.

The survey’s large sample size allows for statistically significant samples in urban and rural areas and by age, race, and income.

Policymakers, state agencies and local governments use the CHAS to measure access to care in Medicaid and to identify needs in behavioral health. Health systems and providers use it to help understand access to care in the areas they serve. Community-based organizations rely on CHAS data to evaluate local needs and inform their strategic plans and programs. Researchers and journalists use it to track the impact of policy shifts and gain insight into the state’s evolving health needs.

The CHAS Is for You

Data from the CHAS are available to anyone who is interested. We invite researchers and other interested parties to use our research file or to reach out with requests for information and data. Contact chas@coloradohealthinstitute.org.

How to Use the Survey

The survey is conducted every other year. CHI publishes the survey data in several formats:

A summary report with graphics and high-level analysis
Spreadsheets with data on all survey questions broken out by demographics
Two-page regional profiles
A research file for academic inquiry

Click on links to each year's survey above to see all the content for each year.

Disaggregating Data from the CHAS

Uncovering populations often hidden in data to tell deeper stories of Colorado communities.

Click to learn more