health

This flyer distributed at the Health Care Day of Action event at the state Capitol summarizes issues Colorado residents and employers face in paying the growing costs of health care coverage. It also lists the sponsors of the event and has a cartoon depicting the health care coverage crisis.

A newly released study makes perhaps the strongest, most detailed case yet for health care reform.

Based on the study, we think it is safe to say that Colorado can hardly afford not to have health care reform.

Colorado has the seventh-highest health care costs in the nation, and those costs are expected to continue going up, placing an increasing burden on state residents, businesses and governments.

Op-ed by Robin Baker in Denver Business Journal. First paragraph: I enjoyed reading reporter Bob Mook’s article, “Off-cycle renewals may skirt health law” in the Aug. 1, 2008, edition. The concerns of health insurers regarding the new law created by HB 1355 were well-represented, as were some of Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison’s. There are larger aspects to this issue, however.

This special issue of The Opportunity News is the Bell’s annual summary of wins and losses in the legislative session for bills related to opporunity. For more details, visit the Legislative Status Report for the 2008 regular session at www.thebell.org.

The Colorado Department of Health Care and Policy Financing (HCPF) is responsible for administering the state???s Medicaid program and other federally subsidized health care programs for children, the disabled, elderly, low-income and uninsured Coloradoans.

The Department of Human Services has 11 budget areas: Child Welfare, Disability Services, Division of Youth Services, Mental Health & Alcohol/Drug Abuse, County Administration, Executive Director???s Office, Information Technology, Operations, Child Care, Adult Assistance and Self-Sufficiency.

Education policy leaders set positive course for fifth-year high school programs; Gov. Ritter to host two-day dropout prevention summit; College tuition and fees nationwide rise 6.6 percent this year; ???Healthy Colorado??? web site highlights the ???cost of doing nothing???; Women???s economic mobility about equal to men???s; Payday lenders have left North Carolina, and borrowers don???t miss them; Predatory Lending Association launches spoof web site

A new analysis of health savings accounts from the Bell Policy Center shows that the tax-advantaged accounts work well for healthy, high-income workers but are too risky for low-income families. ???HSAs may be useful for some consumers, but they are by no means a solution to the major problems in today???s health care system,??? said Blair Woodbury, author of the Bell issue brief, ???Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans.???

A new analysis of health savings accounts from the Bell Policy Center shows that the tax-advantaged accounts work well for healthy, high-income workers but are too risky for low-income families. ???HSAs may be useful for some consumers, but they are by no means a solution to the major problems in today???s health care system,??? said Blair Woodbury, author of the Bell issue brief, ???Health Savings Accounts and High-Deductible Health Plans.???

Bell supports Gov. Ritter???s school district mill levy freeze; Q&A with the Bell: Skaggs seeks collaboration between CDHE and colleges; Scott Martinez named to Bell Policy Center board of directors; Commission gets 28 health care reform proposals; Projection: 20 percent of GDP for health care by 2016; States urged to target job training funds toward low-income, low-skilled workers; Workers not boosting savings as retirement system shifts