Learn the Issues: Uninsured
Who are the uninsured?
According to the Colorado Health Insitute:
• They are working-age. More than three-quarters of Colorado’s uninsured population are 18-64.
• They have lower family incomes. About 55 percent of Colorado’s uninsured have family incomes under 200 percent of the poverty level ($38,700 for a family of four).
• They are more likely to work for small businesses. About 29 percent of working-age Coloradans who worked for firms with 10 or fewer employees are uninsured, compared with 12 percent of employees who work for firms with 500 or more employees.
How do the uninsured affect the business community?
Employers have a big stake in the uninsured. That's because the uninsured sometimes end up on the rolls of public programs funded by taxpayers, which depletes state funds that could go toward such things as transportation and education.
Plus, doctors and hospitals often provide care regardless of patients' ability to pay. To make up the diffference, health care providers charge paying patients more. That drives up insurance premiums, which are primarily paid by employers.
According to a study by Families USA, Coloradans paid an extra $934 in premiums per family to cover the cost of the uninsured
Resources
Profile of the uninsured in Colorado, Colorado Health Insitute