City Council Study Session Agenda and Packet 2014 02 11

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COLORADO. SINCE 1878 Expansions of Medicaid and Health Coverage Assistance Underway [ N As a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010, significant expansions of Medicaid and other kinds of federally- subsidized insurance have taken place in Colorado since October 2013. Since enrollment began on October 1st, over 63,000 Coloradans have signed up for health insurance through the Connect for Health Colorado Marketplace. Boulder County Housing and Human Services is a Connect for Health Colorado Assistance Site, and we have six certified Health Coverage Guides who are helping clients apply for health insurance and financial assistance to pay the premiums. We have conducted dozens of community presentations about the new options for coverage, including several presentations at the Louisville Public Library. We're proud that Boulder County's enrollments have accounted for nearly 10 percent of the statewide total (even as the county accounts for just 5 percent of the state's population). At the same time, over 100,000 Coloradans have signed up for expanded Medicaid health insurance plans. These populations often qualify for a broad range of additional programs, including rental assistance and housing vouchers. We are committed to meeting this increase in need across the spectrum of services we provide, and we spent much of 2013 actively preparing for the expansions by strengthening our community partnerships, internal capacity, and training capabilities.