NEWS HEADLINES:
Colorado health insurance

Colorado establishes fee to fund health insurance exchange

March 13, 2013

Colorado Public Radio — Colorado will charge a 1.4 percent fee on health insurance policies to help fund the exchange. The exchange board may also sell advertising and provide services to other state exchange to meet estimated annual operating costs of $22 to $24 million.

Small businesses give Colorado Health Benefit Exchange good marks

October 19, 2012

Colorado Springs Business Journal — Tony Gagliardi, executive director of the Colorado chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), said NFIB is meeting regularly with the exchange board. “They’re headed in the right direction.”

Cooperation in selecting benchmark plan for Colorado health insurance exchange

September 16, 2012

Kaiser Health News — A group working to select the model for health coverage sold on the Colorado health insurance exchange – or Colorado Health Benefit Exchange – is making progress and experiencing little conflict. Colorado expects to submit its selection and receive approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services within the next several weeks.

Colorado Medicaid reform shows progress

September 13, 2012

Colorado’s aggressive pilot plan to spend less on Medicaid patients without compromising quality is showing encouraging early results. If these savings continue, the program may be expanded to 656,000 Medicaid-eligible Coloradans.

Farmers, business group, others create health insurance co-op with $69 million federal loan

August 17, 2012

A consumer owned and operated health insurance co-op in Colorado has been given a $69 million loan from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It’s a joint proposal by the state’s Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Foundation, NFIB, the Colorado Medical Society and others. Under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) every Coloradan must purchase medical coverage by 2014, and the co-op is one of the innovative ways the federal legislation anticipated to help keep medical insurance premiums affordable.

Should Colorado opt out of the Obamacare Medicaid expansion? Denver Post says “No”

July 15, 2012

Denver Post –  The value of Medicaid’s resourceful programs to working-class Colorado families and the economy as a whole is widely misunderstood. More than 642,000 Coloradans are covered by Medicaid. Medicaid is also the largest source of health insurance for American children and covers 68 percent of individuals in nursing homes.

Full speed ahead for Colorado health insurance expansion

June 29, 2012

Denver Post –The state will redouble efforts to prepare for 2014′s growth in Medicaid enrollment, and a consumer “exchange” – the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange – where citizens should find individual health insurance with affordable, uniform benefits, proponents said.

HHS Awards 10 States With Exchange Establishment Grants

February 22, 2012

Governing.com–A total of $230 million was given to ten states by the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services. The money will be used to aid the development of health insurance exchanges in those states.

House GOP move stalls health reform action

September 28, 2011

Denver Business Journal – Colorado House Republicans have blocked the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange board from applying for a $22 million grant needed to operate the health insurance marketplace.

Development of the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Underway

September 7, 2011

The Colorado Trust – Colorado’s health insurance exchange will increase coverage by addressing two of the major barriers for uninsured Coloradans: affordability and knowledge.

Colorado moves to start implementing health reform

May 6, 2010

American Medical News – Although national health system reform will be implemented over the next five years, Colorado is getting a jump on the effort.

REPORT: WellPoint Raising Premium Rates By Double Digits In At Least 11 States

February 24, 2010

Think Progress – If Democrats move to pass health care reform after tomorrow’s summit, their newfound momentum can be at least partly attributed to WellPoint’s decision todrastically increase premiumsin California’s individual health insurance market. The rate increases highlighted the broken health care system and pressured lawmakers to drastically reform the individual health insurance market. The administration’s strong response also enunciated the differences in lawmakers’ approach to reform and may have pushed the President toadd stronger cost control provisionsinto his health care blue-print.

IN THE STATES: How Health Reform Can Stimulate Colorado Economy, Create Jobs

November 13, 2009

The New Health Dialogue Blog – Talking about health care reform all over the country, I have the opportunity to see many states’ health systems up close.  In particular, we spend a lot of time in Colorado – as evidenced by our study on Grand Junction. In the context of current reform discussions, I began focusing on the state in earnest in 2006 when the Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform began trying to identify a sustainable future for the state’s health care system.

Study: Without health reform, Colorado business will face climbing costs

November 10, 2009

Denver Business Journal – Without health-care reform, Colorado businesses will face ever-higher costs over the next 10 years, a new study says.

Lawmakers take on bill to create health-reform authority

April 22, 2009

Denver Business Journal – Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday were considering a proposal that could fundamentally change Colorado’s $30 billion-a-year health care system.

Bill advances to study single-payer health care

March 19, 2009

USA Today – A House committee has approved a bill that could set the stage for a single-payer health care system, potentially leading to a major change in the way Coloradans get and pay for medical care.

Click here to see Colorado’s State Health Guide.

Ritter endorses insurance expansion

February 26, 2009

The Gazette – Gov. Bill Ritter and the legislators who set the state’s budget gathered Thursday to publicly endorse new legislation that they said would extend coverage to about 100,000 Coloradans who currently lack health insurance.

Click here to see Colorado’s State Health Guide.