Abstract
Health care insurance coverage is an essential element of health care that is used to enhance access to health care in the society. The coverage not only removes the disparities in health care access, but also reduces the cost of health care for different groups of people in a country (RAND Corporation, 2010). This paper seeks to highlight the sources of health care coverage for different categories of people in Colorado and reasons for having health coverage.
Sources of Health Insurance Coverage
The sources of health insurance coverage for the senior members of the society aged between 65 years and include publicly funded coverage services such as Medicaid and Medicare programs. The elderly people in Colorado also have access to private insurance coverage services where the adults pay their insurance policies through their family members. In addition, Colorado State has established the Senior Hub initiative, which provides medical coverage to the elder members of the state. The program also provides adult treatment services and operates other health care related programs such as homecare services, rural feeding programs, and adult day care (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009).
For the children below 18 years the sources of health insurance program include coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Programs, Medicaid services, and other public health programs for children. The state of Colorado has also initiated local based affordable health programs for children who are uninsured. In some areas of Colorado there are programs called Healthy Families, which provide medical coverage for children who cannot afford private health insurance coverage (Blumenthal, 2006).
The Low-income families with at least one child in Colorado can access health insurance coverage through various channels. The state has a public Medicaid program that targets low income families in all parts of the state. The department of health care policy in the area also provides health coverage programs for low income families. Moreover, there are consumer based health initiative programs that target low income the members of the state. The program not only targets low income families, but also targets the young adults with no reliable sources of income. Through the Affordable Care Act, the state plans to increase medical coverage of low income individuals in the society (Blumenthal, 2006).
The self-employed people in Colorado can access health insurance coverage through private health insurance schemes. There are various private health insurance schemes in the state that target the self-employed people. For instance, the self-employed people in the area can buy family and individual health plan that is beneficial to people who are not employed by any public or private organization. Specific examples of the private health insurance plans include Copay Assure Plans and Cigna Health Flex Plans, which are available and very accessible in different regions of the state (RAND Corporation, 2010).
Employees of large companies in the state can access health insurance coverage through the employer’s health care initiative plan. In this plan, the employer pays 60% of the health coverage while the employee pays 40% of the health coverage (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009). However, in circumstances where an employee is not comfortable with the coverage plan, the employee can access private health coverage (RAND Corporation, 2010).
Employees of small businesses can access health insurance coverage through the contribution of their employers. The contributions in this case must meet the standards for tax credits. The employees can also access private medical coverage through individual arrangements (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009).
The medical coverage for temporary, part-time, and seasonal employees in Colorado include buying direct health care coverage from private health insurance organizations. In addition to the program, the state organizes health based programs for the seasonal employees (Blumenthal, 2006).
The unemployed people in Colorado can access health insurance coverage through Medicaid programs, which offers medical cover to unemployed people. The state of Colorado has transformed the labor department to provide health benefits to the unemployed people in the state (RAND Corporation, 2010).
The college students in Colorado can access short term and long term health insurance programs. The two programs are aimed at providing medical cover to the students. The programs attract very low premiums, thus making them affordable (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009).
Contributing to Health Insurance Premiums
The groups discussed above should pay for their premiums to ensure sustainability of the health policy insurance coverage. However, the ability to pay for the premiums depends on the level of income or employment status. Therefore, individuals such as the elder people aged 65 years and above should be exempted from payment. The same case should apply to children under 18 years. The rest of the groups should be able to pay for their health insurance premiums (Blumenthal, 2006).
Benefits of Health Insurance Coverage
Health insurance coverage is an important element in health care that enables individuals to access health care services at low cost. Health insurance coverage provides protection to the family and enhances financial stability of various members of the society. The program also enables individuals to take advantage of various health care services and tools in the environment. Moreover, the health insurance coverage program offers reliable protection to various people in the event of accidents or emergencies (RAND Corporation, 2010).
References
Blumenthal, D. (2006). Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance in the United States – Origins and Implications. New England Medical Journal, 355(1), 82-88.
Kaiser Family Foundation (2009). Health Insurance and Access to Health Care: the Evidence. Web.
RAND Corporation. (2010). U.S. Health Care Today: Coverage. Web.