For years a Brighton beauty shop owner worked long days as her hip condition got worse and gradually made it harder to stand on her feet for up to 10 hours a day.
The price of health insurance was out of reach – let alone the $25,000 to $58,000 cost of the surgery she needed. For years she had little choice but to just keep going despite the grinding pain. When Connect for Health Colorado opened for business, she took a look and found coverage within reach of her budget and it changed everything.
Within a few months, a surgeon repaired her ailing hip, eliminated the pain that kept her awake at night and enabled her to keep her shop open for her customers and five employees. Two years later and now past 65, she’s going strong.
She is one of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans who have been able to get health insurance with the financial help available through Connect for Health Colorado. Wednesday marked five years to the day since Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill sent to his desk with support from both parties in the legislature. That legislation set the course for creating a free-market solution to expanding health insurance coverage for the state’s residents making too much to be eligible for Medicaid but unable to buy private coverage.
More than 84,000 Coloradans buying health insurance received assistance with their premiums last year – an average of $235 per month per household. Colorado is a leader in lowering the number of its uninsured population. Nearly nine out of 10 residents are covered. The number of personal bankruptcies tied to medical debt has been cut in half.
Connect for Health Colorado is proud to be part of a uniquely Colorado solution, yet we know that there is plenty of work left to be done.
Too many Coloradans struggle to pay for their coverage and too many don’t get the care they need because of the expense, even when they are insured.
We know it won’t be easy, but we are committed to finding a cost-effective path to increasing access, affordability and choice for Coloradans buying health insurance. Achieving this will mean a healthier and more productive Colorado where more of us are getting the health care we need and protecting our finances from potentially devastating medical bills.
Kevin Patterson is the chief executive officer of Connect for Health Colorado.
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