State officials and consumer advocates hope that the demographic data could eventually help inform patients. And the data collected will be reported to the state only in aggregate. That means insurers must ask, but the providers can decline to answer. But after physician groups raised privacy concerns, the state opted to make reporting of the demographic data by providers voluntary and confidential. For example, a plan might find that 30% of its enrollees are Black but that only 20% of its providers are.Ĭolorado had considered including providers' demographic data in directories so patients could use it to choose their doctors. The state and insurers will be able to see how similar the plans' patient and provider populations are and then work on ways to narrow the gap, if needed.
"Traditionally, data like this isn't collected." Narrowing the gap "Nobody knows how many particular racial or ethnic identities they might have among their providers, what the percentages are, and how they correspond with the communities that they serve," said Kyle Brown, Colorado's deputy commissioner for affordability programs.
Some other states - including California - and Washington, D.C., require plans sold on their health insurance marketplaces to collect demographic data from patients, although not providers, and patients are generally asked only about their race and ethnicity, not their sexual orientation or gender identity. Colorado is requiring those plans to build out culturally responsive provider networks, with a diverse set of health practitioners who can meet the needs of a diverse population.
As part of this effort, the state is asking insurers offering certain health plans to collect demographic information, such as race, ethnicity, disability status, sexual orientation and gender identity, from both health professionals and enrollees - a move that some health care workers say could threaten their safety.Ī new state law takes effect later this year that requires insurers to offer the "Colorado Option," a plan on the state-run Affordable Care Act marketplace with benefits that have been standardized by the state. Now, Colorado is trying to help patients find such providers. Research shows that when patients see health providers who share their cultural background, speak the same language or mirror their experiences, their health care outcomes improve. This story was produced in partnership with Kaiser Health News.