Colorado Medicaid assignment PDF

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Colorado Health Care System

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Medicaid program in Colorado provides healthcare insurance for individuals and families with low income, including senior citizens, women, children, and people with disabilities. With the great burden of population health problems like cardiovascular disease, there is need for suitable reforms in the Medicaid program. This could be met through the expansion of this program to aid the reduction of cost of care, improvement of cardiovascular health as well as the general health aspects. Medicaid in Colorado is a national and state program administered by the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing that provides individuals with medical covers. Expectant women, children of ages 0-18 years, parents, the disabled and the elderly (over 65 years of age) benefit from it, extending to those with low income and resources in the region. The eligibility requirements to access Medicaid include being a U.S citizen, the permanent inhabitant or legal foreigner, who are in need of health insurance ("Colorado Medicaid Eligibility: 2020 Income & Asset Limits", 2020). Some of the benefits and services offered under this program include emergency care, dental services, behavioral health, and outpatient care services. Primary health care, newborn care, rehabilitative services, maternity care and family planning services are other health aids provided. According to the Colorado Medicaid Eligibility: 2020 Income & Asset Limits (2020), the types of Medicaid programs offered in Colorado include Medicaid waivers, Institutional and Regular Medicaid. The eligibility qualifications vary with regard to different marital status of individuals. The income appropriateness factor ranges from particular sources like employment salaries, Social Security Income, pension payments, Social Security Disability Salary, to mention a few. However, failure to meet all the requirements does not mean unsuitability to access the medical covers. The asset feature includes aspects of individual investments, cash, savings, and

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others. Although, Medicaid exempts personal belongings, automobiles, and homes, offering an equity interest of not exceeding $595,000. Colorado aims to expand the Medicaid program in order to improve access to healthcare and reduce the financial strains on low income people. Consequently, this could aid the improvement in the health outcomes of individuals. This seems to not only benefit Colorado, but the United States as well. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Colorado is one of the major health conditions requiring critical attention. According to “Colorado Heart Healthy Solutions Program Reduces Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: Healthy People 2020", cardiovascular disease is the main cause of mortality in the United States of America. Cardiovascular disease could be caused by main factors like high levels of cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure. In Colorado, nearly one person succumbs to cardiovascular disease hourly, with the prevalence of high cholesterol and hypertension as the leading risk factors. It is a costly disease with a great disease burden in Colorado, having been projected at an 82% increment in the cost of care in 2020. This was from $4.4 billion to an $8.2 billion transition since 2010 (2014). However, it can be prevented through the proper management of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels through changing the behavioral habits of health. In 2008, the implementation of the Colorado Heart Health Solutions Program (CHHS) was a way to address the rising cardiovascular risk factors. This was intended to identify, prevent, and control CVD in the region through the reduction of the commonness of the risk factors. The program aims at improving cardiovascular health across Colorado through promotion of accessibility to primary care as well as inspiring healthy behaviors in individuals. Lowering of cardiovascular disease risk equally improves cardiovascular health. Another goal of this program is to enhance the capacity building in order to help individuals adopt healthy

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lifestyles. The program is unrestricted as it covers various settings including health fairs, pharmacies, clinic-based offices, grocery stores, to mention a few. Furthermore, it considers lower-class individuals who include the poor, minorities, rural areas, as well as the medically deprived, among others ("Colorado Heart Healthy Solutions Program Reduces Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: Healthy People 2020", 2020). Cardiovascular conditions, say a heart attack, and congestive heart failure, are expensive for a state to manage, consequently for the nation. This is because they primarily require judicious attention and highly developed and costly care. This is more especially when patients are readmitted to the hospitals for care. For instance, Johnson (2015) states that congestive heart failure is the fourth leading diagnosis for readmissions in hospitals. He places that Medicaid spent $273 million for about 18,800 hospital readmissions as a result of congestive heart failure. As such, improving cardiovascular health across Colorado could greatly lower the costs of care for the state Medicaid program. This will be achieved through the reduction in hospital readmissions as well as deaths that result from the disease. A strategy to expand the Medicaid Program in Colorado will pointedly lower the cost of care to great extents. Through this, the generation of considerable savings in the state as compared to the current levels could be realized (Ward, 2020). Besides, it could lessen the expenses outside Medicaid, particularly because of health service provision to the low-income populations. It is necessary for stakeholders to participate in the expansion of the Medicaid Program in Colorado. They include the senior Medicaid leadership, the office of the State Governor, patient and support community, and health service providers. The State Assembly, the Centers for Medicare as well as Medicaid Services in the State are also among the stakeholders. They should be engaged in the Program design and evaluation of the expansion strategy to achieve success.

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To successfully engage them in the program, the state needs to recognize the champions, establish relationships and regular communication with them. Besides, organizing of the anticipations of the healthcare administration program could be a significant step to prosper in the run. An appropriate engagement of the stakeholders in the Medicaid expansion intervention would enhance sustainability and attainment ("Section 2: Engaging Stakeholders in a Care Management Program", 2008). Cardiovascular disease accounts for over 800,000 deaths annually in the United States of America with an estimation of $316.6 billion cost in healthcare costs and productivity. Despite the great disease burden as a result of cardiovascular disease, Colorado has the choice of continuing with the current Medicaid model. This is because it offers a more conversant and less disrupted medical care system, which may or may not attain more budgetary certainty and greater savings in the end. Even now, the Colorado Medicaid program has leveraged several care systems. It concentrates on evading a statewide embracing of a more destructive capitated structure which would hamper its success. Further, Colorado’s stepwise progression in implementing more significant Medicaid program outcomes is a promising demonstration. Together with these steps, expansion of the Medicaid Program will enhance the achievement of the anticipated goals in relation to improving the health status of individuals. The intervention could translate to the reduction of the cost of care and increment in quality health services to individuals in the lowest social class. In the long run, this will improve the cardiovascular health as well as the general health element. For instance, this will perhaps increase the rates at which individuals go for regular checkups due to the affordability to purchase care. Further, the number of healthcare seekers could be increased, ensuring healthy people statewide as well as nationwide.

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Colorado Heart Healthy Solutions Program Reduces Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease | Healthy People 2020. Healthypeople.gov. (2020). Retrieved 15 November 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/healthy-people-in-action/story/colorado-hearthealthy-solutions-program-reduces-risk-factors. Colorado Medicaid Eligibility: 2020 Income & Asset Limits. Medicaidplanningassistance.org. (2020). Retrieved 15 November 2020, from https://www.medicaidplanningassistance.org/medicaid-eligibility-colorado/. Colorado.gov. (2014). Retrieved 15 November 2020, from https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/DC_fact-sheet_CVD_Nov2014_without-Appendix.pdf. Johnson, T. (2015). Reducing the Prevalence and Costs of Heart Disease. Ncsl.org. Retrieved 15 November 2020, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/reducing-the-prevalence-andcosts-of-heart-disease.aspx. Section 2: Engaging Stakeholders in a Care Management Program. Ahrq.gov. (2008). Retrieved 15 November 2020, from https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/long-termcare/resource/hcbs/medicaidmgmt/mm2.html. Ward, B. (2020). The Impact of Medicaid Expansion on States’ Budgets | Commonwealth Fund. Commonwealthfund.org. Retrieved 15 November 2020, from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/may/impactmedicaid-expansion-states-budgets....