CHI Insights: Quick Data Hits to Satisfy Your Appetite for Analysis

Have you been reading our weekly insights? In 2014, we ramped up our Insight effort to produce a weekly analysis of data that is either a topic of interest to the author or a data point that is timely in nature.

Often, this includes data from the Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) that have not been touched on in a brief or report. We keep the analysis quick and to the point – meant to give you the information you need in less time than it takes to finish your morning cup of coffee.

A sampling of the most recent analyses from the Insight team (led by Senior Communications Expert Joe Hanel):

Many Uninsured Coloradans Say “I’ll Take my Chances”: Written by Policy Analyst Allie Morgan, this analysis of CHAS data focuses on uninsured Coloradans who say they don’t need health insurance – who they are, where they live and their health status.

Confidence in the Health System is a Blessing Not Everyone Can Count: Do Coloradans feel the health system is meeting the needs of their families? Policy Analyst Jessica Fern analyzed the answer to this question from the CHAS in a Thanksgiving-themed insight. The data found that one of four people in the state strongly disagree their families’ needs are being met.

The Tooth Hurts: Many Coloradans Don’t Get Dental Care: Oral health may be one of Colorado’s ten Winnable Battles, but only two of three Coloradans visited a dentist in the past year. Research Analyst Hannah Wear analyzed this data point from the CHAS to find out more about lower rates of dental visits.

Mission Not Quite Accomplished: Most Veterans Are Covered, But Some Still Lack Care: In honor of Veterans Day, Research Analyst Nina Roumell analyzed data from the Veterans Administration to provide insight on insurance coverage for veterans. The data found that 7.2 percent of veterans lacked health insurance in 2009.

Mapping Colorado’s Mental Health: The CHAS found that 10.6 percent of Coloradans reported eight or more days of poor mental health in the month before the survey, but where do they live? Analysis by Public Interest Fellow Sara Robbins found that that highest rates of poor mental health were in Pueblo County and the mountain counties of Gilpin, Park, Clear Creek and Teller.

Along with the Insights, watch our Twitter @CoHealthInst in the coming days for more quick analysis of CHAS data in the form of new maps from our mapping experts Hannah Wear and Natalie Triedman.

Finally, in case you missed them from last week:

  • Senior Communications Expert Joe Hanel’s latest report from the Colorado Commission on Affordable Health Care is now available. Items discussed include staffing needs and the perspective the group should take on studying costs.
  • We have posted a recording of the webinar on the 2015 legislative forecast led by Joe and Allie.