Project Summary

Little research has so far been done into the geographic variation in health insurance coverage for educators across the state of Colorado. Most research currently done has been into general geographic trends across the whole country. Other research has been done into coverage for educators, but these two topics are seldom combined. For Colorado specifically, research into health has not focused on jobs, nor does it focus on variation between regions of the state. Due to this lack of research, it remains difficult to understand disparities between regions for these educators, information that could be valuable for them. Educators are among the most reliant on health insurance coverage from their employers due to their often low pay despite being in demand in expensive areas. Research done has not often considered the impacts of health coverage on jobs, often simply comparing the net amount. It is important to consider factors outside of just coverage, as educators in expensive areas might be able to afford much less medical care out-of-pocket than those in less expensive areas. Research has focused on the effects of different public policies on general coverage in Colorado, and these policies often affect all regions of the state, but there remain challenges in determining if coverage is fair and sufficient for educators across the state. In order for educators to be able to better understand the state of their health coverage, it is imperative that research is done into the differences in health coverage between Colorado school districts for educators.