This Thursday, the Colorado Chamber’s Health Care Council met to take positions on introduced bills and hear legislative updates.
The group was joined by Sen. Kyle Mullica, who represents SD-24 and serves as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Sen. Mullica gave a brief overview of what he expects for the 2026 session and opened up for discussion. Members inquired about the need for health care experts in the legislature, how state politics have evolved since he first took office, funding the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise and recently introduced health care bills.
Health Care Council Positions:
SB 41: Oppose
This bill makes changes to how mergers involving health care entities are regulated. It creates fees for parties involved in a merger, prohibits certain transactions, specifies advance notice rules and sets certain disclosure requirements. The Chamber is opposed to this bill because it limits access to health care and is duplicative of existing regulations.
HB 1056: Oppose
This legislation prohibits a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) or health care consultant from making certain statements or claims concerning prescription drug optimized sourcing programs. It also requires disclosure of certain cost information when requested. The Health Care Council voted to oppose this bill because it creates an additional and unnecessary burden for health care providers.
HB 1139: Amend
The bill prohibits the use of AI systems in certain circumstances for health care and mental health services. It defines “mental health companion chatbot” and sets requirements for its implementation. It also creates a private right of action. The Chamber took an “amend” position because of concerns of additional liability and conflicting requirements with other introduced AI legislation.