A year from now, 160,000 currently uninsured adult Coloradans should gain access to health coverage and care through Medicaid. Gov. John Hickenlooper announced this week plans to expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act. Beginning on January 1, 2014, Coloradans earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level – $30,657 annually for a family of four or $14,856 for an individual – will be eligible to enroll in Medicaid. The Colorado Center on Law and Policy estimates that a significant chunk of those who will gain coverage through the expansion (about 122,000) are currently working but can’t afford insurance.
About 85.5% of Boulder County adults currently have health insurance. Who will remain uninsured with the Affordable Care Act, according to Dawn Joyce of Boulder County Health and Human Services? The list includes immigrants who are not legal U.S. residents, people who are eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled, those who are exempt from the mandate (largely because they can’t find affordable coverage), and those who choose to pay the penalty instead of purchasing coverage.
