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S_HHS_2019A 04/19/2019 09:39:11 AM Committee Summary

PUBLIC
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Date 04/19/2019
Attendance
Crowder *
Smallwood X
Winter *
Pettersen X
Fields X
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Time 09:39:11 AM to 01:52:58 PM
Place SCR 357
This Meeting was called to order by Senator Fields
This Report was prepared by Elizabeth Haskell
Hearing Items Action Taken
HB19-1133 Referred to Senate Appropriations
HB19-1233 Amended, referred to Senate Appropriations
HB19-1269 Referred to Senate Appropriations
HB19-1288 Referred to the Committee of the Whole
HB19-1216 Amended, referred to Senate Appropriations

HB19-1133 - Referred to Senate Appropriations


09:39:20 AM  

Senator Fields, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 19-1133.  This bill establishes the Colorado Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Network (CARENetwork) in the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).  The CARENetwork is created to support the provision of medical exams and behavioral health assessments to children age 5 and under in suspected cases of physical or sexual abuse or neglect, and children age 12 and under in suspected cases of sexual abuse.  



CARENetwork resource center. The CDPHE is required to award a contract to a resource center to establish the CARENetwork by September 1, 2019.  The resource center must be a nationally recognized organization specializing in child abuse pediatrics with the expertise to establish standards for the CARENetwork, and to provide education and training for designated providers.  The resource center will:

  • work to increase local capacity of providers to perform health assessments for suspected cases of physical or sexual abuse or neglect;
  • develop best practice standards, including a review of national accreditation standards, for exams and assessments;
  • develop a streamlined medical and behavioral health referral process;
  • establish a structure to ensure a coordinated response to suspected cases of abuse;
  • encourage participation and enhance the role of providers in multidisciplinary teams in local communities to provide support for the CARENetwork;
  • collaborate with existing local programs to provide education, training, collaborative mentorship, and support for providers, including education and training about signs that children may be at risk of abuse and resources available to families;
  • collect and analyze data to identify and monitor outcomes of the CARENetwork; and
  • report annually to the CDPHE and the Department of Human Services (DHS).
09:42:01 AM  
Antonia Chiesa, The Kempe Foundation, testified in support of the bill.
09:45:03 AM  
John Faught, The Kempe Foundation, testified in support of the bill and responded to questions.


09:49:44 AM
Motion Refer House Bill 19-1133 to the Committee on Appropriations.
Moved Crowder
Seconded
Crowder Yes
Smallwood Yes
Winter Yes
Pettersen Yes
Fields Yes
Final YES: 5   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS



HB19-1233 - Amended, referred to Senate Appropriations


09:50:06 AM  
Senator Ginal, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 19-1233.  The bill establishes a primary care payment reform collaborative in the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).  The collaborative will consist of representatives of several entities involved with health care financing and delivery, as outlined by the bill.  Among other responsibilities, the collaborative is directed to advise in the development of affordability standards and targets for carrier investments in primary care, and report on current health insurer practices that direct greater resources toward innovation and improvement in primary care.  The collaborative will convene by July 15, 2019, and will publish primary care payment reform recommendations each year by October 15.  The collaborative is repealed September 1, 2025, following a sunset review.  The bill creates several standards and targets related to primary care spending.  The Commissioner of Insurance is required to establish affordability standards for premiums, which must include targets for carrier investments in primary care.  It requires insurance carriers that offer state employee health benefit plans and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) to adopt targets for investments in primary care in alignment with the standards set by the commissioner.  The administrator of the all-payer health claims database must provide an annual primary care spending report to the commissioner for use by the collaborative beginning August 31, 2019.  The report must include, among other things, the percentage of medical expenses allocated to primary care for various payers.
09:54:21 AM  
David Keller, American Academy of Pediatrics,
testified in support of the bill.
09:57:30 AM  
Dave DeNovellis, HCPF, testified in support of the bill.
09:58:53 AM  

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

10:01:16 AM  
Kelly Erb, Colorado Rural Health Center, testified in support of the bill.
10:05:27 AM  

The witness panel responded to questions.

10:05:56 AM  
Matt Mortier, Colorado Division of Insurance
(DOI), testified in support of the bill.
10:08:33 AM  
Commissioner Michael Conway, DOI, testified
in support of the bill.
10:13:27 AM  
Commissioner Conway responded to committee questions.
10:20:01 AM  

Amendment L.009 was distributed to the committee (Attachment A).  Committee discussion and questions ensued.

10:33:21 AM  

Shannon Groves, Kaiser Permanente, responded to questions about amendment L.009 (Attachment A).

10:41:42 AM  
Committee discussion followed.


10:44:33 AM
Motion Adopt amendment L.009 (Attachment A).
Moved Smallwood
Seconded
Crowder Yes
Smallwood Yes
Winter Yes
Pettersen No
Fields Yes
YES: 4   NO: 1   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS
10:47:39 AM  
Committee discussion followed.


10:48:33 AM
Motion Conceptual amendment 1, strike "Nonprofit," on line 2 of amendment L.009 (Attachment A).
Moved Smallwood
Seconded
Crowder Yes
Smallwood Yes
Winter No
Pettersen No
Fields Yes
YES: 3   NO: 2   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS


10:49:51 AM
Motion Refer House Bill 19-1233, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.
Moved Smallwood
Seconded
Crowder No
Smallwood No
Winter Yes
Pettersen Yes
Fields Yes
Final YES: 3   NO: 2   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS



HB19-1269 - Referred to Senate Appropriations


10:54:33 AM  

Senator Ginal and Senator Gardner, bill sponsors, presented House Bill 19-1269.  This bill requires private health insurers and the state's Medicaid plan to provide medically necessary coverage for behavioral, mental health, and substance use disorder services on par with the coverage for physical health services and to demonstrate compliance through new reporting requirements.

11:00:04 AM  
Senators Ginal and Gardner responded to questions.
11:02:35 AM  
Lauren Snyder, Mental Health Colorado, testified in support of the bill and distributed a handout (Attachment B).
11:04:14 AM  
Moe Keller, Mental Health Colorado, testified in support of the bill.
11:07:34 AM  
Kevin J.D. Wilson, Children's Hospital Colorado, testified in support of the bill.
11:10:22 AM  
Dr. Alexis Ritvo, Colorado Psychiatric Society, Colorado Society of Addiction Medicine, and Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society, testified in support of the bill.
11:17:17 AM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
11:23:46 AM  
Jim Wiegand, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.
11:30:45 AM  
Elicia Bunch, Centennial Peaks Hospital,
testified in support of the bill.
11:34:44 AM  
Valerie Schlecht, Colorado Cross-Disability
Coalition, testified in support of the bill.
11:35:32 AM  
Debra Judy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in support of the bill.
11:42:44 AM  

The witness panel responded to questions.

11:42:52 AM  

Heidi Haines, The Arc of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

11:45:49 AM  
Dave DeNovellis, HCPF, testified in support
of the bill.
11:46:20 AM  
Wes Skills, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, read the testimony of Bethany Pray in support of the bill.
11:47:57 AM  
Kelly Erb, Colorado Rural Health Center, testified in support of the bill.
11:50:42 AM  
Matt Mortier, DOI, testified in support of the bill.
11:52:53 AM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
11:57:22 AM  
Senators Ginal and Gardner made closing remarks.


12:00:35 PM
Motion Refer House Bill 19-1269 to the Committee on Appropriations.
Moved Crowder
Seconded
Crowder Yes
Smallwood Yes
Winter Yes
Pettersen Yes
Fields Yes
Final YES: 5   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS



HB19-1288 - Referred to the Committee of the Whole


12:02:12 PM  
Senator Fields and Senator Crowder, bill sponsors, presented
House Bill 19-1288.  This bill establishes certain rights for siblings
in foster care, unless the rights are not in the best interests of one
of the siblings. These include the rights to:
  • be placed in foster care homes with siblings;
  • be placed in close geographical distance to siblings;
  • obtain temporary respite placements together, when possible;
  • be placed with families and professionals who have had
    training on the importance of sibling relationships;
  • be notified about changes in sibling placement or catastrophic
    events;
  • be included in permanency planning discussions;
  • maintain frequent and meaningful contact;
  • be involved in each other's lives and share celebrations;
  • annually receive contact information for all siblings;
  • have private communications;
  • be provided an explanation if contact with a sibling is
    restricted or denied;
  • expect that a guardian ad litem will advocate for request
    contact and visits with siblings;
  • have contact with siblings in any adoptive or guardianship
    placement; and
  • receive age-appropriate documents from the county department
    of human services describing these rights.

In addition,
the bill allows an adult sibling of a youth in foster care to have the
right to be considered as a foster care provider, adoptive parent, and
relative custodian to their sibling.  Finally, the bill requires a
county department of human services to develop a sibling contact plan for
youth with siblings in foster care.

12:06:09 PM  
Becky Updike, Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center, testified in support of the bill.
12:07:16 PM  
Stacey Sanders, Elevating Connections, testified in support of the bill.
12:09:55 PM  

Davion, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.

12:11:39 PM  

Bri Lennon, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

12:14:32 PM  
Dominique Mallard, Project Foster Power, testified in support of the bill.
12:21:19 PM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
12:23:41 PM  
Korey Elger, Colorado Department of Human Services (DHS),
testified in support of the bill.


12:28:20 PM
Motion Refer House Bill 19-1288 to the Committee of the Whole.
Moved Fields
Seconded
Crowder Yes
Smallwood Yes
Winter Yes
Pettersen Yes
Fields Yes
Final YES: 5   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS
12:28:21 PM  

Senator Fields recessed the meeting.



HB19-1216 - Amended, referred to Senate Appropriations


12:33:00 PM  
Senator Fields reconvened the meeting.
12:33:49 PM  
Senator Priola and Senator Donovan,
bill sponsors, presented House Bill 19-1216 and distributed amendments
L.005 and L.006 (Attachments C and D).  This bill requires an insurance
carrier to cap the copayment or coinsurance amount imposed on a covered
person for prescription insulin drugs at an amount not to exceed $100 per
30-day supply of insulin, regardless of the amount or type of insulin needed
to fill the covered person's prescription.  The bill also requires
the Department of Law to investigate the pricing of prescription insulin
drugs to ensure adequate consumer price protections and submit a report
of its findings on whether additional measures are needed to protect consumers
to the Governor, the Commissioner of Insurance, and the Judiciary Committees
of the General Assembly by November 1, 2020.  For its

investigation, the Department of
Law must compile and analyze information from companies engaged in the
manufacturing and sale of prescription insulin drugs. The department may
request the court to order subpoenas for this information.

 

12:40:32 PM  
Nicole Schneider, Barbara Davis Center,
testified in support of the bill.
12:46:16 PM  
Faith Riddell-Harding, representing herself,
testified in support of the bill.
12:49:14 PM  
Jill Weinstein, representing herself, testified
in support of the bill.
12:53:35 PM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
12:59:36 PM  
Dana Malick, Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America, testified against the bill.
01:02:37 PM  
Emily Roberts, Colorado Bio Science Association,
testified against the bill.
01:04:28 PM  

Christine Bottomley, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in support of the bill.

01:06:36 PM  
Gail DeVore, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.
01:10:26 PM  
The witness panel responded to questions.
01:14:26 PM  
Christine Fallabel, American Diabetes Association,
testified in support of the bill.
01:18:01 PM  
Matt Mortier, DOI, testified in support of the bill.
01:20:03 PM  
Betsy Ray, International Diabetes Federation
and American Diabetes Association
,
testified in support of the bill.
01:21:45 PM  
The witness panel responded to questions.


01:39:27 PM
Motion Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment C).
Moved Pettersen
Seconded
Crowder
Smallwood
Winter
Pettersen
Fields
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection


01:39:46 PM
Motion Adopt amendment L.006 (Attachment D).
Moved Pettersen
Seconded
Crowder
Smallwood
Winter
Pettersen
Fields
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection
01:39:53 PM  
Senators Priola and Donovan made closing remarks.


01:52:42 PM
Motion Refer House Bill 19-1216, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.
Moved Pettersen
Seconded
Crowder No
Smallwood No
Winter Yes
Pettersen Yes
Fields Yes
Final YES: 3   NO: 2   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS


01:52:58 PM   The committee adjourned.






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