Stabilization Payments for Safety Net Providers
The bill creates the provider stabilization fund within the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise (enterprise) to distribute provider stabilization payments to safety net providers who provide services to low-income, uninsured individuals on a sliding-fee schedule or at no cost. Provider stabilization payments will be distributed to eligible safety net providers based on the proportion of low-income, uninsured individuals that an individual provider serves in comparison to the total number of low-income, uninsured individuals served by all eligible safety net providers.
The bill directs the state treasurer to credit interest earnings on the principal in the unclaimed property trust fund to the provider stabilization fund as follows:
- $25 million for the 2025-26 state fiscal year;
- $20 million for the 2026-27 state fiscal year; and
- $15 million for the 2027-28 and subsequent state fiscal years.
The provider stabilization fund also consists of any money the general assembly appropriates, transfers, or credits to the fund and any gifts, grants, or donations the enterprise may receive for the fund. The bill directs the enterprise to leverage money in the provider stabilization fund to obtain federal matching money.
The bill establishes a provider stabilization fund enterprise support board to assist the enterprise in implementing and administering the provider stabilization fund. The enterprise's governing board is required to submit an annual report on the provider stabilization fund to specified committees, the governor, and the medical services board in the department of health care policy and financing.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)