Affordable Care Act

Bob Semro's piece on how the Affordable Care Act is saving money for Americans  (Americans save $2.1 billion on insurance premiums, thanks to ACA) was posted as part of Viewpoints on the Kaiser Health News website.

Bob Semro's piece on the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and how it will benefit low-income Coloradans aged 50-64 (Straight talk on health care reform: Expansion of Medicaid eligibility will help many low-income baby boomers) was posted as part of Viewpoints on the Kaiser Health News website.

Saturday is the third anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act. In that time, the law has survived legal challenges that went all of the way to the U.S. Supreme Court as well as opposition during the 2012 elections. Most of the Affordable Care Act will be implemented by the end of 2014.

The expansion of Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act will help thousands of Colorado families who lack insurance. You've probably heard that.

What you might not have heard is that the expansion will greatly benefit a large number of Colorado's aging baby boomers. These are low-income residents between the ages of 50 and 64 who may be in great need of health care coverage but often are not be able to afford it.

Expand Medicaid Eligibility

­­­­Senate Bill 13-200

Robert Semro, policy analyst
Testimony to the ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Senate Health & Human Services Committee
March 14, 2013

My name is Robert Semro, and I am a policy analyst with the Bell Policy Center. The Bell is a non-partisan, non-profit research and advocacy organization founded on progressive values and dedicated to expanding opportunity for all Coloradans.

Bob Semro's presentation to the League of Women Voters on "The Affordable Care Act – after the Supreme Court ruling."

Please click on image to view presentation

Bob Semro, the Bell's policy analyst on health care issues, recently presented a webinar titled "Baby Boomers, Seniors and the Long-Term Care Challenge."

The webinar was prepared for the Society of Certified Senior Associates, a national organization that educates professionals who work with seniors on a wide range of issues. The presentation explores institutional challenges facing baby boomers and seniors over the next two decades with regard to long-term care.

Bob Semro, the Bell's policy analyst on health care issues, recently conducted a webinar on how the Affordable Care Act will affect seniors.

This informative presentation was well-received, and we wanted to make it available to a wider audience. The webinar was prepared for the Society of Certified Senior Associates, a national organization that educates professionals who work with seniors on a wide range of issues.

The debate over whether Colorado should expand Medicaid eligibility under the federal health care reform law has been a much-discussed topic for the past seven months. As a result of the Supreme Court's ruling on the Affordable Care Act last summer, the decision on whether to expand Medicaid lies with each state. And that decision ultimately revolves around costs and benefits.

In Colorado, Gov. John Hickenlooper has announced plans to proceed with the expansion, and one direct benefit could be job-creation.

By Kevin Simpson
The Denver Post

Colorado plans to expand Medicaid coverage next year to cover more than 160,000 additional low-income adults, aided by cost-control savings of more than $280 million over the next 10 years, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Thursday.

"This is a step toward what we have talked about for a couple of years: How can we make sure we're making Colorado the single healthiest state in America?" Hickenlooper said.