• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Center for Health Progress

  • Contact Us
  • Get Help
  • The People
    • Our Board
    • Our Staff
    • Our Members
    • Our Partners
  • The Campaigns
    • Immigrant Health
    • Non-Emergency Medical Transportation
    • Our Health | Nuestra Salud
  • The Work
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Partnerships
    • – EquityLab
    • Policy Advocacy
    • Professional Services
  • The Impact
    • How Change Happens
    • Evaluating Success
  • Learn More
    • Blog
    • Our Publications
    • – Graphic Novel
    • – Video
    • Our Events
    • – Annual Meeting
    • – HEALTHtalks Luncheon
    • Our Values
    • – Health Equity Commitment
    • Our History
  • Join
You are here: Home / Learn More / Blog / Opportunity SHOPs

Opportunity SHOPs

Author: centerforhealth
October 1, 2013 Filed Under: Coverage, Systems Change

Opportunity

This post was written by Gretchen Hammer, a previous member of our team.

Today is an exciting day. The new health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, is open and individuals and small businesses looking to purchase health insurance can begin to use the marketplace to shop. As a member of the Board of Directors for Connect for Health Colorado, I am proud of the great work the staff, board, policymakers, and stakeholders have done to create this new opportunity in Colorado.

However, to be honest, I am excited about the opening of Connect for Health Colorado for another, more personal reason. As the Executive Director of a small nonprofit with an annual budget of around $500,000 and six full-time employees, I not only serve as the Executive Director, but also the Director of Finance, the Chief Grant Writer and the Head of Human Resources. And, I cannot wait to use the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) to purchase our health coverage next year.

Using the SHOP will enable CCMU as a small employer to better compare our options by allowing for side-by-side comparisons of plans. I tried to do this on my own two years ago just between two health insurance companies but found it incredibly confusing. The SHOP will also enable CCMU to offer our employees, who have diverse health care needs, the ability to choose the health insurance plan that is right for them. I am not sure if our organization will qualify for the available tax credit for small nonprofits, but I look forward to working with the Connect for Health Colorado customer service center to evaluate this possibility.

As early as 2001, CCMU recognized the importance of preserving and expanding health insurance provided by small employers. In our report, Healthy Colorado: First Thoughts on a Plan to Ensure Coverage for All Coloradans, we explored the idea of providing tax credits to small employers to "increase the availability of employer-sponsored insurance, since this is one of the most effective and efficient means of expanding coverage."

Data from the 2012 Division of Insurance Health Insurance Cost Report confirms that the goals of preserving and expanding coverage provided by small employers is as important today as it was twelve years ago. "The number of small companies with less than fifty employees that offered health insurance dropped from 39% in 2010, to 32.6% of companies in 2011."

It's been a long road to get to this point, and it's a big day for all of us in Colorado. We should be proud of the hard work we've all done and excited for the possibilities ahead. I'm personally eager to use Connect for Health Colorado as a tool for CCMU, and hope that it can help many more small employers provide coverage as well. We still have far to go in the journey to ensure our health care system meets the needs of all Coloradans, but today is a day of new opportunity. It's an exciting day.

Related posts:

mesasMoving Past the Plateau Immigrant woman sitting in an exam room with a provider taking her pulseCoverage for Immigrant Women runningstairsGoing the Distance coverageHealth Insurance Matters

Blog Authors

Joe SammenJoe Sammen

Executive Director

Sarah McAfeeSarah McAfee

Director of Communications

Dana KennedyDana Kennedy

Director of Community Partnerships

Jessica NguyenJessica Nguyen

Community Partnerships Specialist

Maggie GómezMaggie Gómez

Director of Community Organizing

Chris KleneChris Klene

Policy Specialist

Michelle MuñozMichelle Muñoz

Office Manager

Theresa TrujilloTheresa Trujillo

Lead Organizer

Carrie WilsonCarrie Wilson

Development Manager

Recent Posts

  • 2019: A Year in Review
  • What We’re Reading
  • How Organizers Build Power in Immigrant Communities
  • The Healing Powers of Pueblo Chile
  • Colorado is Home | Colorado es el hogar

Categories

  • Access to Care
  • Communications
  • Community Engagement
  • Community Partnerships
  • Coverage
  • Events
  • Health Equity
  • Healthy Living
  • Immigrant Health
  • Innovations
  • Leadership
  • Payment Reform & Costs
  • Policy & Advocacy
  • Providers & Workforce
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Systems Change

Blog Archives

Contact Us

Denver Office:
1245 E Colfax Ave. #202
Denver, Colorado 80218

Fort Morgan Office:
815 W Platte Ave.
Fort Morgan, Colorado 80701

Email:
weare@centerforhealthprogress.org

 

Mailing Address:
PO Box 18877
Denver, Colorado 80218

Telephone:
720.583.1760 (English)

Telephone:
970.579.1699 (Ingles o Español)

GET CONNECTED

 

Join Our Listserv →

© 2019 · Center for Health Progress | Terms of Use

Developed By Firefly Partners