The Colorado Trust recently published an issue brief entitled The Magnitude of Underinsurance in Colorado. The brief discusses the current state of Coloradans who are underinsured and how the underinsured experience similar problems faced by those who are uninsured. Underinsurance is defined as, “having public or private insurance coverage that does not adequately cover the costs of medically necessary services relative to family income, resulting in out-of-pocket expenses that exceed an insured individual’s ability to pay.”

Approximately 13% of the state’s population is considered underinsured. Unfortunately, a majority of the underinsured reside in rural counties. Using the 21 Health Disparities Regional Profiles established by CDPHE, 13 of the regions reported an underinsurance rate higher than 13%. Seven of those regions were rural counties with Region 5 (Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln) reporting 23.2% of the population being underinsured.