Before examining potential options for extending greater health care coverage and/or access to immigrants of varying immigration status in Colorado, we must understand the demographics and insurance status of these populations.
The number of foreign-born Coloradans went up by 45% from 2000-2015, compared to the 36% overall increase in the US. Colorado’s immigrant population is largely from Latin America, but a sizeable percentage were also born in Asia. Of the foreign-born in Colorado, 61% are not U.S. citizens and 39% are naturalized citizens.
104,201 of Colorado’s uninsured, or 27% of the state’s total uninsured, were immigrants without documentation. Across the United States, it is estimated that 25% of the people who will remain without health insurance, despite full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, will be immigrants without documentation, making up the nation’s second largest population of uninsured individuals. The limitation in these data is that there were substantial increases in Coloradans (and potentially immigrants) gaining health coverage in 2014, so this number should be taken conservatively.
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Immigrant Health - Demographics Report