insurance

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.

Lack of health insurance is a problem for many Americans, but for thousands every year it can lead to an avoidable and premature death.

For this and other reasons, the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, puts new reforms in place to reduce the number of uninsured Americans and improve their access to care.

HB 07-1355 adds a critical building block to the state's effort to reform health care. By building insurance premium rates on less restrictive case characteristics, the state can facilitate development of more diverse health risk pools.

Introduction: This bill represents a net opportunity gain for Colorado. HB 07-1355 adds a critical building block to the state's effort to reform health care. By building insurance premium rates on less restrictive case characteristics, the state can facilitate development of more diverse health risk pools.

By Dr. Robin Baker
Senior policy analyst and director of the health project
baker@thebell.org

Having trouble sorting out the details in the debate over health care reform?

You're not alone. That's why we've compiled some resources we think you might find useful:

· To help explain the issues surrounding reform efforts, two news organizations have developed helpful features.

In case you missed it, we wanted to call your attention to a recent New York Times survey of all 50 states and how they handle six federal aid programs ranging from public assistance to health insurance for poor children. It is a state-by-state measure of the safety net. Where did Colorado rank? “Colorado is dead last,” Wade Buchanan said in email to the Bell's staff after reviewing the survey.

Read the New York Times story

Email to supporters: All eyes remain focused on the Colorado Capitol, where lots of weighty issues are being hashed out, but it’s worth pausing to take note of some very good news. We wanted to let you know that Gov. Bill Ritter has signed House Bill 1293, the Health Care Affordability Act. This bill expands health care coverage to more than 100,000 uninsured Coloradans at no cost to taxpayers.

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.

"A close look at the five proposals now being evaluated by the Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform takes a big investment of time. I thought it would be helpful for people to be able to compare key elements in each plan at a glance. This new version contains more details about all five proposals." ??? Robin Baker, senior policy analyst