Number of Coloradans Without Health Insurance Continues to Rise, Report Finds
The number of Coloradans who lack health insurance continues to rise, with between 16% and 20% of state residents reporting they are uninsured "some time during the year," the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. According to a new study by the Coalition for the Medically Underserved, titled "2001 Colorado Health Data Book," more than two-thirds of the state's residents are privately insured, but only 24% of those with incomes under the federal poverty level have private health insurance. Of those without health coverage, 31.5% are between the ages of 18 and 24, while 1.5% are "elderly adults." Other findings include:
- Seventy-five percent of the state's uninsured live in families with "at least" one full-time worker;
- Employer-sponsored health insurance is available to 23.4% of part-time workers, compared to 71.9% of full-time workers;
- Colorado is ranked 49th among states in the percent of its "low-income" non-elderly population covered by Medicaid.
