Colorado Health Access Survey reveals gains, gaps to care in Weld County

Sept. 19--Weld County still lags behind the state average of those without health insurance, but the county continues to see some promising gains, according to the 2017 Colorado Health Access Survey released today.

Just about 9.6 percent of residents are uninsured, compared to the state average of 6.5 percent. Cost remains a barrier.

The Colorado Health Institute, a nonpartisan research group, conducted the survey. It paints a picture of a stabilized system.

Joe Hanel, manager of public policy outreach at CHI, said survey reflects the gains and gaps of the Affordable Care Act.

The uninsured rate in Weld rose from 8.5 percent to 9.6 percent from 2015 to 2017. Hanel said the increase was statistically insignificant and indicated a stable system.

The uninsured rate statewide sits at 6.5 percent in 2017, compared to 6.7 percent in 2015.

Hanel said Weld likely sees a higher percent of uninsured than the rest of the state because of the Hispanic and refugee populations.

Hispanics make up a disproportionate share of the uninsured, according to the survey, with one in 10 uninsured in Colorado. But even that is encouraging.

"There is some good news to tell," Hanel said. "Back in 2011, one in four Hispanic Coloradans were uninsured."

The gap still exists, he said, but it narrowed.

Weld's more rural nature also likely contributes to the county's higher rate of those uninsured, Hanel said.

Affordability

People still cite cost as the biggest barrier to getting insurance, with 78.4 percent of those without insurance statewide saying they couldn't afford it. But that number's dropped since 2009, when 88.4 percent of those uninsured said they didn't have insurance because it cost too much.

Despite complaints about affordability, fewer people are putting off care.

In 2013, 16.6 percent of people surveyed in Weld said they did not get the doctor care they needed because of the cost. This year, that number sits at 10.4 percent. The same goes for dental care. In 2013, 23.6 percent of people did not get the dental care they needed because of cost. In 2017, the survey showed 18.6 percent of people in Weld put off dental care because of the cost.

Furthermore, fewer people around Weld struggled to pay off their medical bills.

In 2013, the survey showed 24. 3 percent of people were unable to pay the bills, while 18.6 percent were unable to pay medical bills in 2017.

Stability

Health care systems around Colorado are also stabilized. They seem to be absorbing the influx of newly insured patients, according to the survey. The median wait time in Weld and across Colorado is two days for a general doctor's appointment and nine days for a specialist appointment.

The individual insurance market has been pretty stable in Colorado since 2015, Hanel said.

"It's not in a death spiral this year," Hanel said, "though we do have steep price increases slated to take effect in 2018."

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