Health Care Coverage Easy Enrollment Program

The act creates the Colorado affordable health care coverage easy enrollment program (program) for the purpose of leveraging the tax filing process to connect uninsured Coloradans to free or subsidized health care coverage through a health care coverage affordability program, which includes medicaid, the children's basic health plan, or a subsidized health benefit plan, or other creditable coverage. The program will allow Coloradans to request on their state income tax returns that the Colorado health benefit exchange (exchange) assess whether uninsured household members are potentially eligible for free or subsidized health care coverage. If the tax filer requests that the eligibility of uninsured household members be assessed under the program, the tax filer will receive information about coverage options and assistance with enrollment.

The act creates the affordable health care coverage easy enrollment advisory committee (advisory committee) to guide implementation of the program. The advisory committee is co-chaired by the executive director of the exchange and the executive director of the department of revenue (department), or their designees, and consists of the following 9 members, appointed by the board of directors of the exchange:

• A representative of the department of health care policy and financing;
• A representative of the division of insurance in the department of regulatory agencies;
• A representative of consumer advocacy groups;
• A representative of small employers;
• A representative of insurers;
• A health care consumer;
• A health coverage guide or other person with expertise in the process of applying for federal insurance or assistance;
• An insurance producer; and
• A tax preparer.

If the exchange verifies that the uninsured individual is a United States citizen, the exchange, through procedures determined by the advisory committee, will assess whether uninsured individuals identified through the program are potentially eligible for a health care coverage affordability program or other creditable coverage, notify uninsured individuals about their potential eligibility, and enroll or assist with enrolling uninsured individuals in creditable coverage.

The department is required to implement the tax forms and schedules created by the advisory committee and to share the tax information gathered, as authorized by individual tax filers, with the exchange.

The executive director of the department is required to promulgate rules to implement the new tax forms and schedules and to implement the authorized sharing of the tax information provided on the state individual income tax return forms for the purpose of enrolling uninsured individuals in a health care coverage affordability program.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)