Insuring our Future is a broad and deep partnership of organizations who share a common belief in the value of Medicaid to our state s overall health

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1 Insuring our Future is a broad and deep partnership of organizations who share a common belief in the value of Medicaid to our state s overall health care system and a conviction that we must continue to work to improve, strengthen, and grow its utility for Coloradans who need it most.

2 Insuring Our Future is a broad coalition of groups that believe in the value of Medicaid for all Coloradans. Over the coming days, we ll be sharing with you some of the many reasons we believe Medicaid Matters. All Families Deserve a Chance Coalition Colorado Coalition for the Homeless One Colorado Alzheimer s Association Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Arthritis Foundation Colorado Community Health Network Project WISE Children s Hospital Colorado Colorado Consumer Health Initiative Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Chronic Care Collaborative Colorado Council of Churches Rocky Mountain Health Plans ClinicNET Colorado Family Medicine Residencies Sarah Care Colorado Academy of Family Physicians Colorado Hospital Association The Bell Policy Center Colorado Association for School-Based Health Care Colorado Progressive Coalition The Colorado Health Foundation Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council Colorado Rural Health Center The Consortium Colorado Center on Law and Policy Community Health Partnership, Inc. The Owens Foundation Colorado Children s Campaign Mental Health of America Colorado Together Colorado Colorado Children s Immunization Coalition My Kids R Covered Women s Lobby of Colorado National Multiple Sclerosis Society

4 Medicaid is a type of health insurance that pays for doctors visits, hospital bills, prescription drugs, and other health needs. It provides crucial services, including: Support for families with disabled children Long term care Breast and cervical cancer screenings Aid for the disabled Colonoscopies In-home supports for seniors Support to the blind

6 Over 800,000 Coloradans do not have any health insurance and another 675,000 are underinsured. If an uninsured person gets care at a hospital and cannot pay the bill, the hospital is forced to raise rates to offset the cost, a practice known as cost shifting, as well as discontinue some services, or even close down. The higher the number of uninsured Coloradans, the higher health care costs will continue to climb.

8 The lump in Cynthia Osborn s breast went ignored far too long. I m lucky. That was the difference between living and dying, says Cynthia, 61, of Fort Morgan. If I hadn t stumbled on the program I did, if I didn t have Medicaid, if I didn t have my boss supporting me, I wouldn t have seen my great grandkids born. I wouldn t be here today telling you my story. In 2006, she felt a pea-sized lump in her left breast. Cynthia had no health coverage at the time because her non-profit employer could no longer afford it. Partly out of financial concerns, partly because of her religious faith, and partly out of weariness, she waited nine months before being screened for cancer. After surgery and months of radiation, nearly six years later, her PET scans keep coming up clear. Cynthia credits Medicaid for saving her life. Listen to more Medicaid stories:» Read more: insuringourfuture.org/cynthia-osborn

10 Just over 600,000 Coloradans per year receive access to health care through Medicaid. 60% of those covered by Medicaid are children.

12 Family of Four Annual Budget of $32,000 In 2014, a Colorado family of four will qualify for Medicaid if they make less than $32,193 per year. What is missing in this budget? Health care! Unfortunately, health insurance, a necessity, would bust this family s already tight budget by a minimum of $4,000 per year.

14 Federal Poverty Level Family Size Gross Yearly Income Gross Monthly Income Approximate Hourly Income 1 $11,170 $930 $ $15,130 $1,261 $ $19,090 $1,591 $9.18 This is what the federal poverty level looks like today. 4 $23,050 $1,921 $11.08 Individuals and families living in poverty have little if any money to dedicate to health insurance.

16 Tish Barber is a stay-at-home mom whose husband Brandon s job selling tires for Big O doesn t offer health coverage. She and Brandon have gone uninsured for nearly four years, and don t qualify for family Medicaid because his $31,000 in pretax earnings exceeds the program s current income threshold. At 37, Tish wishes she could get a mammogram and pap smear every once in a while and a check-up that would be her first since high school. While their own health care needs go unmet, Tish and Brandon are comforted by the fact that their three sons all have coverage. Each qualifies for Medicaid benefits that include an annual physical, eye and hearing exams, immunizations, flu shots, and unlimited treatment for the croup coughs, ear infections, and scrapes that come with boyhood. Listen to more Medicaid stories:» Read more: insuringourfuture.org/the-barber-family

18 Impact on the economy of proposed Medicaid expansion by FY : The state s economy, as measured by gross domestic product, will be 0.74% larger, resulting in nearly $4.4 billion in additional economic activity Average annual household earnings will be $608 higher These numbers are based on Medicaid Expansion: Examining the Impact on Colorado s Economy, a report prepared for the Colorado Health Foundation by Charles Brown Consulting, Inc.

20 Every $1.00 invested in health care spending in Colorado will produce an additional $2.44 in economic output, and most of those dollars will be spent locally at clinics, on medical supplies, and other health services, according to a recent study sponsored by the Colorado Health Foundation and The Colorado Trust.

22 Although Medicaid is one of Colorado s largest budget responsibilities, it also brings in the most federal matching dollars federal tax dollars paid by Colorado residents that would otherwise go to other states.

24 In 2011 the Colorado Hospital Association reported that Colorado hospitals incurred $1.7 billion in uncompensated care. These are costs hospitals had to absorb or pass on to other Coloradans already paying for private health insurance. This is unsustainable and threatens the availability of health services, our rural communities and thousands of Colorado jobs.

26 The state is responsible for using taxpayer dollars wisely and has implemented several successful programs that aggressively seek to recover all moneys due to Medicaid from pharmacy drug rebates, trusts, private insurance, and torts. From , the state recovered approximately $91 million because of their efforts to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse.

28 Colorado continues to find ways that control the costs of Medicaid through newer programs like the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) and Colorado Access to Community-based Transition and Services (CO-ACTS). In 2011, the program s first year, the ACC reduced Medicaid health expenditures by $20 million.

30 Controlling the cost of Medicaid makes it more viable and provides potential to extend it to other uninsured Coloradans who qualify. According to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing, thanks to nearly $300 million in savings over the next 10 years, Colorado can responsibly grow Medicaid to cover an additional 160,000 adults.

33 Impact on the economy of proposed Medicaid expansion by FY : 22,388 more jobs as a result of expansion These numbers are based on Medicaid Expansion: Examining the Impact on Colorado s Economy, a report prepared for the Colorado Health Foundation by Charles Brown Consulting, Inc.

34 Angela Wilson has been in the mental health system since she was 11. But it wasn t until she attended workshops and conferences as part of her Medicaid enrollment in 2011 that she says she developed a vocabulary for her experiences and found a voice in her need. As her body and mind age prematurely due to a long series of illnesses, Angela s spirit is still growing. She s proud of her role as an advocate for Medicaid and hopes her story helps people understand that public assistance is needed, not just wanted. Medicaid has empowered her to not just take control of her health, but also her life.» Read more: insuringourfuture.org/angela-wilson Listen to more Medicaid stories:

36 A 2012 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that in states that had previously expanded Medicaid eligibility, at least 19.6 lives were saved each year out of every 100,000 residents, ages 20 to 64. Using Colorado s population, that means at least 629 Coloradans saved each year, according to The Colorado Trust. That s more than the number who die annually of breast cancer or colon cancer.

38 Average Salaries Construction Workers $29,901 - $32,885 Home Health Aides 29,901 - $32,885 Maids $29,901 - $32,885 Childcare Workers $29,901 - $32,885 Growing and strengthening Medicaid presents Colorado an opportunity to support working families by providing secure, affordable health care. Individuals like the ones above would be eligible under the Medicaid expansion proposed by Governor Hickenlooper.

40 Medicaid is making a difference in Colorado every day by providing access to quality, affordable health care to thousands, contributing to the economy, and helping to rein in health care cost increases driven by the uninsured. Learn more about how Medicaid works: