In the Denver Business Journal today there is an article that shows how many people are employed by hospitals. The numbers are high, and I don't think they are all low wage workers.
Most Physicians on staff:
-Univ of Colo Hosp - 1,891
-Sky Ridge - 1,804
-Childrens - 1,637
-Swedish - 1,568
-Rose - 1,380
Most Nurses on staff:
-Univ of Colo Hosp - 2,084
-Childrens - 2,027
-Denver Health - 1,346
-Swedish - 967
-Presbyterian-St. Luke's - 823
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Should Colorado be a single rating area?
Colorado has significant disparity in terms of healthcare costs – and thus health insurance premiums – from one area of the state to another. Rates in the mountain areas of the state are far higher than rates along the I-25 corridor, and although subsidies make coverage affordable for people who are eligible, there’s no assistance for someone earning more than 400 percent of the poverty level.
As an example, a 59-year old in Pagosa Springs who earns $48,000/year would have to pay $688/month (17 percent of her income) for the least expensive bronze plan available in the exchange. She would be exempt from the ACA’s penalty for being uninsured, and would also have access to slightly less-expensive catastrophic plans, but there’s no reasonably-priced health insurance option in this hypothetical case.
In an effort to address the disparity, Governor Hickenlooper signed
HB 1336 into law in May 2016. The bill directed the Colorado Department of Insurance to study the impact of making Colorado one unified rating area, meaning that premiums would rise in the areas where they’re currently lower, and would fall in the mountain areas of the state where they’re currently higher.
The DOI’s
report on the impact and viability of a single rating area was presented to the legislative committees in August 2016. The DOI did not recommend that the state become a single rating area, but recommended instead that the state work to find ways to lower the underlying cost of health care, since that’s what drives health insurance premiums. Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar noted that a single rating area strategy could backfire, leading carriers to adjust their plan offerings or even leave the state altogether. A focus group to address the cost of healthcare is currently working, and will present their findings by the end of 2016. For the time being, Colorado remains divided into nine rating areas.
