Originally published by Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit national health policy news service. By Julie Appleby After Pam Durocher was diagnosed with breast cancer, she searched her insurer’s website for a participating surgeon to do the reconstructive surgery. Having done her homework, she was stunned to get a $10,000 bill from the… Continue reading Even Insured Consumers Get Hit With Unexpectedly Large Medical Bills

By Quincy Snowdon, Staff Writer for the Aurora Sentinel AURORA | For participants of the Bridges to Care program, the difference is in the ears. Or at least the direction in which they’re pointed. “This is the first time I’ve had someone who listens like that,” said Norma Armistead, a recent Bridges to Care graduate. “In… Continue reading A Bridge across Emergency Rooms That Leads to Better Health for Aurora’s Poor

By Yesenia Robles for The Denver Post A new survey is asking Denver Public Schools families to prioritize what they believe are the most pressing health concerns facing students. DPS officials say the answers will help them update the district’s health goals in the Health Agenda 2020. Officials working on the rewrite have studied local health data… Continue reading Denver Public Schools is Rewriting Health Goals, Asking for Input

By Electa Draper for The Denver Post The state health insurance exchange is wrapping up interviews and background checks this week in its six-month hunt for a new chief executive officer. Connect for Health Colorado officials expect to select a finalist or finalists for the job next week. The exchange is also looking for chief financial… Continue reading Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Close to Selecting New CEO

By the Associated Press, originally published in the Aurora Sentinel The state Senate gave initial approval Monday to two bill to increase oversight of the quasi-public exchange, called Connect For Health Colorado. DENVER | Colorado’s health insurance exchange is facing more scrutiny from the Legislature. The state Senate gave initial approval Monday to two bill[s] to… Continue reading Colorado Tightening Reins on Health Insurance Exchange

By The Associated Press, published in The Pueblo Chieftan DENVER — Colorado’s health exchange on Monday reported selling private health plans to 121,000 people two-thirds of the way through this year’s open enrollment period. In a joint statement, Connect for Health Colorado and the state’s health agency said that about 50,000 people had received coverage… Continue reading Colorado Reports 171,000 Covered Under Affordable Care Act

By Tom McGhee for The Denver Post Over the next 15 years, the number of people 60 or older in Colorado is expected to more than double, boosting the need for long-term care and services that enable older adults to live independently in their homes. Keeping needy senior citizens in their homes will require an expansion… Continue reading Colorado’s Aging Population Will Need Increased Services to Age At Home

By Brandon Johansson for the Aurora Sentinel AURORA | During Thanksgiving week the Arapahoe County coroner’s office investigated four suicides. That may not seem like much, but Arapahoe County Coroner Kelly Lear-Kaul said it’s double what she sees in a typical week. With Christmas and New Year’s Day approaching, Arapahoe County officials and mental health agencies… Continue reading Experts Urging Caution Around Depression and Holiday Season

By Cindy Sutter for the Colorado Daily The holidays can make you think of Charles Dickens. Not “A Christmas Carol.” More like “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … ” Hyperbole aside, the season does have highs and lows: fun/stress, togetherness/colds and flu, delicious food/poor nutrition, traditions/obligations, holiday lights/low… Continue reading Holiday Health: Staying in Balance in Boulder

Seasonal Stress Can Leave Older People Feeling Down During Holidays By Mary Jean Porter for The Pueblo Chieftain It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . And it can be a sad and stressful time for older people. Maybe they have lost or are separated from loved ones, or they aren’t feeling as well… Continue reading Seasonal Stress Can Leave Older People Feeling Down During Holidays