In this Capitol Report:
Health Care Council Members Hear from Legislative Sponsor of Public Health Insurance Option Plan
This week, Colorado Chamber of Commerce members had the opportunity to hear directly from the legislator who plans to introduce the 2020 legislation creating a Colorado public health insurance option plan. Representative Dylan Roberts (Democrat – Eagle County), shared his goal for the legislation which is to lower health care costs and build a program that fits within the existing health care system. The basis of his bill is the proposal developed by the Division of Insurance (DOI) and the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) over the last few months which focuses on three areas:
- Allowing the State of Colorado to set hospital reimbursement rates;
- Requiring insurance companies to participate in the program;
- Allowing for rebates on pharmaceuticals to be passed through;
- Capping profits for health insurance companies.
Representative Roberts stated that he is still working on the bill draft and anticipates it to be introduced by mid-February. He also shared that he is open to more discussion by businesses who have concerns with the original DOI and HCPF proposal. Many Chamber members raised concerns with the proposal during the meeting today. The Colorado Chamber has expressed concerns that the legislation could result in a shift of costs from individual plans to employer-sponsored plans and it’s unclear how the State would prevent that cost-shift from occurring. Only one other state – Washington – has passed a bill to implement a similar program.
The Health Care Council discussed several other pieces of legislation being proposed this Session including:
- Prescription Drug Price Transparency (Bill sponsors: Reps Jackson & Roberts & Senator Ginal)
- Fertility Coverage Mandate (Bill sponsor: Rep. Tipper)
- SB 043 – Out of Network Health Care Provider (Bill Sponsors: Senator Tate & Rep. Valdez)
- HB 1061– Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Prevention Medications (Bill Sponsors: Reps. Valdez & Herod)
- HB 1078 – Pharmacy Benefit Management Firm Claims Payments (Bill Sponsors: Reps. Jaquez Lewis/Mullica & Sen. Winter
- Expansion of Prescription Drug Importation legislation (Bill sponsor: Senator Ginal)
- Affordability Board Bill (Bill sponsor: Rep. Jacquez-Lewis)
- CMS Credentialing legislation (Bill sponsor TBD)
Please contact Loren Furman at [email protected] or Bill Skewes at [email protected] with any questions regarding this Council meeting or future Health Care Council meetings.
Colorado Chamber Visits Eastern Plains and Roaring Fork Valley
From left to right, the Colorado Chamber’s Lauren Schwartz along with Yuma Chamber board members Dave Hoch, owner of Hoch Enterprises; Judy McFarland, Flowers Express; Butch Berry, manager of ShopAll; Luke Goeglein, PFS Insurance Group and mayor pro-tem of Yuma; Hannah Mann, CPA at Pioneer Accounting; Sammy Lee, executive director; and Aaron Prior, Commercial Insurance Advisor, PFS Insurance Group
The Colorado Chamber kicked-off 2020 with visits with business leaders and local chambers of commerce on Colorado’s Eastern Plains and the central mountains of the Roaring Fork Valley. Lauren Schwartz, director of investor relations, heard common themes of concern to the business community: For example, transportation workforce are not just Front Range issues, but priorities for anyone doing business in Colorado. We discussed how labor and employment, healthcare and tax laws affect companies large and small in Colorado, and how the Colorado Chamber serves as a resource to legislators for understanding the impacts of legislation on business. And of course, the pressing question of the day: Who owns those drones??
We began our tour in Akron with 20-year member Y-W Electric Association’s new general manager, Trent Loutensock, and veteran human resources director, Marjie Hottinger; followed by meetings with the Yuma Chamber of Commerce board of directors; a visit with Smithfield Foods; 
and a visit with Elizabeth Hutches, president of the board at the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce; and meetings with the Logan County Chamber of Commerce executive director, Glenna Aulrich in Sterling; and Mark Frasier, owner of F Cross Cattle Company in Fort Morgan.
We wrapped up the Colorado tour at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association annual Winterskol Awards celebration, honoring companies and business leaders that have made an impact in the Roaring Fork Valley for generations.
Sponsoring a Policy Council Meeting Gives You the Spotlight at our Exclusive Legislative Strategy Sessions
Sponsoring a Policy Council meeting puts you front and center with key legislators, government officials, and Colorado Chamber members.
The following Councils are available to all our members:
- Energy and Environment Council
- HealthCare Council
- Labor and Employment Council
- Governmental Affairs Council
- Tax Council
Each Council will meet at noon at the Colorado Chamber of Commerce office throughout the session. Lunch is served at each meeting. Sponsorship of council meetings by our members is crucial to maintaining the practice of providing lunch during these important council meetings. We need sponsors for every meeting, so we would like to encourage members to sign up now to sponsor a lunch! Sponsors receive recognition in both email reminders for the meeting and our online Events Calendar, as well as during the meeting. The Colorado Chamber of Commerce does all of the ordering and setup of the lunch and the sponsorship is always a flat rate of $650. Please contact Laura Moss for more details or to sign up as a sponsor. We appreciate your ongoing support!
Please see the below for specific dates for each council. Councils always meet from Noon to 1:15 p.m. in our conference room at 1600 Broadway, Suite 1000.
2019-2020 Council Meeting Dates
Energy & Environment Council:
January 29, 2020
February 25, 2020
March 24, 2020
April 29, 2020
Governmental Affairs Council:
January 28, 2020
February 11, 2020
March 31, 2020
April 27, 2020
HealthCare Council:
December 17, 2019
January 16, 2020
February 13, 2020
March 12, 2020
April 16, 2020
Labor & Employment Council:
November 20, 2019
January 22, 2020
February 19, 2020
March 18, 2020
April 22, 2020
Tax Council:
January 17, 2020
February 7, 2020
March 6, 2020
April 17, 2020