New Content Touches on Range of Issues

What impact is the Affordable Care Act having on insurance premiums in Colorado? Friday’s blog from Public Interest Fellow Sara Robbins explores this question and more in an analysis of health insurance rate filings from the Colorado Division of Insurance. You can find that blog here.

In recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Research Analyst Hannah Wear wrote an insight on the mental health needs and barriers to care for minority populations in Colorado. Data from the 2013 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) show that Hispanics and non-Hispanic minorities in Colorado were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to report that the reason they did not seek needed mental health care was because they did not feel comfortable talking about their problems with a health care professional.

We also released our 2014 count of adults eligible for but not enrolled in Medicaid. This year’s publication (along with the accompanying data supplement and methodology document) estimates the number of adults – both parents and adults without dependent children from 0 – 138 percent of the federal poverty level – who were eligible but not enrolled on the first day of the Medicaid expansion on January 1, 2014. New for this year, the publication includes a demographic profile of the population, including education level, employment status and language status.

The agenda for this week includes a meeting of CHI’s Safety Net Advisory Committee (SNAC). The group will discuss immigrants and access to care. For past SNAC agendas, presentations and publications visit our SNAC Lab page.

Also this week, the Community Living Advisory Group is hosting its last retreat before issuing its recommendations to update the long-term services and supports (LTSS) delivery system in Colorado to the governor in September. Tasia Sinn – senior analyst and CHI’s expert on LTSS– will attend the retreat. The group will consider recommendations brought by subcommittees concerning care coordination, entry points, workforce, regulations and waiver simplification. CHI has presented several times to the advisory group and subcommittees and is closely tracking the recommendations moving forward.

The release of this year’s Reaching Our Peak publication is fast approaching and the team – led by Sara Schmitt, director of community health policy - is excited to share the finished product. Here is a shot of Senior Communications Specialist Joe Hanel interviewing Kristl Howard, human resources manager at the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver. Wondering what Joe and Manager of Creative Services Brian Clark were doing there? Be sure to read Reaching Our Peak when it is released next week to find out. Meantime, you can check out last year’s publication.