Number of uninsured in Colorado remains low

DENVER — With Tuesday’s release by the Colorado Health Institute of its 2017 report on the Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS), Marguerite Salazar, Insurance Commissioner and head of the Division of Insurance, issued the following statement.

"Maintaining the gains we've seen in lowering the number of uninsured in Colorado to only 6.5 percent is fantastic. And it's made all the more impressive considering the challenges and attacks to the ACA over the last two years. Having over 5 million people with coverage is a feat for which we should all be proud.

"This is an achievement built on the hard work of many, many people - the navigators and people working at assistance sites, the county personnel helping people understand their coverage options, the insurance agents and brokers taking people and employers through their choices, the community centers and libraries that opened their doors for enrollment events, the consumer groups giving voice to the public, the insurance companies who have remained committed to this state, and the entities like the Department of Health Care Policy and Finance, Connect for Health Colorado, and yes, the Division of Insurance, that have worked to change the health coverage landscape and serve their constituents.

"But even with such a high level of coverage, the work isn't done. We need to turn our attention to the costs of healthcare. It is these costs that not only drive so much of the increase we see in premiums every year, but drive people's concerns about the affordability of the services they get at the doctor's office or the hospital. We must also work together to close the disparities we see across racial, economic and geographic differences. And more immediately, we need our friends in Congress to step up with a plan to strengthen the individual market for 2018.

“Because we have made such strides in lowering the number of uninsured in Colorado, I am confident that we can tackle the remaining challenges, but it will take of all of us continuing to work together.”