Colorado Legislation Would Set Up Committee To Study Health Costs

Under a bill (SB 217) introduced in the Colorado Legislature on April 22, a committee of 10 lawmakers would meet about six times over the next few months to study ways to control the state's rising health costs, the Denver Post reports. In particular, the committee would study whether combining the state's Medicaid, CHIP and other health care programs into one would reduce administrative costs. The committee also would study the feasibility of Colorado offering health insurance to small employers and the self-employed. State Sen. Bob Hagedorn (D), the bill's sponsor, predicted that insurance companies would not be opposed to the bill because they do not appear interested in offering "reasonabl[y]" priced coverage to small businesses. He added that under such a plan, the state might require health insurers to provide coverage to small businesses or pay into a state pool. Travis Berry, a lobbyist for the state's chamber of commerce, the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, said he hopes the bill does not impede the "pipeline" of already proposed legislation that would assist small businesses procure affordable health coverage. "That being said," Berry added, "the business community is interested in any number of different options to address skyrocketing health care costs for their employees" (Kane, Denver Post, 4/23).