3C5EBFC187B84A4E872583B6007BE91E Hearing Summary

Senator Moreno, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 19-1001. The bill directs the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) to work in consultation with the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Board to develop and prepare an annual report on uncompensated costs and categorical expenditures made by hospitals in the state (hospital expenditure report). In addition to using publicly available data, each hospital in the state is required to provide HCPF with certain information outlined in the bill, including financial statements, operating expenses, and staffing information.

The hospital expenditure report must include but is not limited to a description of the methods of analysis, uncompensated care costs by payer group, and a breakdown of how different categories of expenses contribute to overall costs. HCPF must post the report to its website and submit it to the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Medical Services Board by January 15 of each year beginning in 2020. The bill also requires HCPF, in consultation with the CDPHE and the Division of Insurance, to determine whether the Hospital Report Card and the Hospital Charge Report that exist under current law require any structural or substantive changes.

A.W. Schnellbacher, AARP Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Ed Shackelford, Colorado Senior Lobby, testified in support of the bill.

Andrea Stojsavljevic, Healthier Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Allison Neswood, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, testified ins support of the bill.

Senator Fields announced that Senator Rankin, bill sponsor, was in attendence.

Debra Judy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in support of the bill.

John Bartholomew, HCPF, testified in support of the bill.

Senators Moreno and Rankin made closing comments and discussed amendment L.025 (Attachment B).