Governor's health care bill passes Legislature
By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News
A health-care reform proposal backed by Gov. Bill Ritter cleared the Colorado
Legislature this spring. Another reform bill, sponsored by Rep. John Kefalas
of Fort Collins, failed to pass the House after being opposed by both Gov.
Ritter and Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll.
The governor's bill, the Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act, will impose
a new fee on hospitals. That fee will bring in matching federal funds that
will allow the state to expand eligibility for Medicaid and the Colorado
Children's Health Care Plus program. Money generated by House Bill 1293
will also be used to pay hospitals a higher reimbursement rate for Medicaid
and indigent care. The Colorado Hospital Association supported the bill.
Proponents of HB 1293 say the bill will provide health care coverage for
more than 100,000 additional Coloradans. In 2007, the latest year for which
figures are available, there were about 800,000 uninsured people in Colorado.
Kefalas' bill, the Colorado Guaranteed Health Care Act, would have set
up a framework for a publicly financed, privately delivered health-care
system. This type of system is commonly called single-payer, because one
public entity would provide insurance for all.
While HB 1273 won approval in two house committees and passed an initial
voice vote on the House floor, it was one vote short of the support needed
for final passage. As a result, Kefalas opted to lay it over until the
end of the session. That move effectively killed the bill for the 2009
session, but Kefalas pledged to continue to work on health-care reform
legislation.
"On an issue this important, we must continue to advance solutions until
we get it right," Kefalas said.
A third health care bill, House Bill 1273, won legislative approval. It
will allow insurance companies to offer a limited benefits plan for a low
monthly premium. However, there is limited availability for this option.
Only counties with a population of 25,000 or less are eligible, and individuals
who apply must have been uninsured for at least 12 months.
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