S_HHS_2017A 02/16/2017 Committee Summary

Date:	02/16/2017	ATTENDANCE
Time:	01:30 PM to 04:45 PM	Aguilar	*
		Crowder	X
Place:	SCR 354	Kefalas	X
		Martinez Humenik	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Smallwood	X
	Senator Smallwood
This Report was prepared by
	Elizabeth Haskell
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB17-121 HB17-1046 SB17-146 SB17-142		Amended, Referred to Senate Appropriations Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:31 PM -- SB 17-121



Senators Lundberg and Crowder, co-prime sponsors, presented the bill. This bill, recommended by the Interim Study Committee on Communication between the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and Medicaid Clients, requires HCPF to engage in an ongoing process to create, test, and improve Medicaid client communications. HCPF must ensure that communications with clients are accurate, readable, understandable, and consistent. Contact information for client questions must be listed, and, to the extent practicable, legal, privacy, and educational information must be provided separately from the main content of the correspondence. In all communications regarding a denial, reduction, suspension, or termination of benefits, the following must be included:



• an understandable explanation of denial, reduction, suspension, or termination;

• detailed information on the client’s household composition and income sources; and

• a specific description of any information or documents needed from the client.



When modifying Medicaid communications, HCPF is required to test the changes and solicit feedback from clients and stakeholders. HCPF is also required to appropriately prioritize communications that only affect a small number of clients or vulnerable populations. HCPF is encouraged to promote client communications electronically and through mobile applications. As a part of HCPF’s annual presentation to General Assembly



01:34 PM -- Zach Lynkiewicz, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, testified in a neutral position on the bill. He discussed amendments L.001 and L.003 (Attachments A and B).



170216 AttachA.pdf170216 AttachB.pdf







01:38 PM -- Joel McClurg, Hunger Free Colorado, testified in support of the bill.



01:42 PM -- Jeanette Hensley, Colorado Senior Lobby, testified in support of the bill.



01:43 PM -- Aubrey Hasvoid, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, testified in support of the bill.



01:47 PM -- Jack Regenbogen, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, testified in support of the bill. He provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments C and D).



170216 AttachC.pdf170216 AttachD.pdf



01:52 PM -- Ellen Alires-Trujillo, Colorado Legal Services, testified in a neutral position on the bill.



01:54 PM -- Julie Reiskin, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, testified in support of the bill and distributed four handouts to the committee(Attachments E, F, G, and H).



170216 AttachE.pdf170216 AttachF.pdf170216 AttachG.pdf170216 AttachH.pdf



01:58 PM -- Francesca Maes, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, testified in support of the bill.



02:01 PM -- Jerry McElroy, Gerontological Society, testified in support of bill and provided a handout to the committee (Attachment I).



170216 AttachI.pdf





02:02 PM -- Mr. Lynkiewicz return to the table to respond to questions.

BILL:	SB17-121
TIME:	02:14:42 PM
MOVED:	Crowder
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar	Excused
	Crowder
	Kefalas
	Martinez Humenik
	Smallwood
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:	SB17-121
TIME:	02:15:17 PM
MOVED:	Crowder
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar
	Crowder
	Kefalas
	Martinez Humenik
	Smallwood
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:	SB17-121
TIME:	02:16:18 PM
MOVED:	Crowder
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 17-121, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar	Yes
	Crowder	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Martinez Humenik	Yes
	Smallwood	Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:17 PM -- SB 17-146



Senator Jahn, bill sponsor, presented Senate Bill 17-146. The bill increases health professionals' access to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) database by:

• allowing a practitioner with prescribing authority to query the PDMP about a current patient, regardless of whether the practitioner is currently prescribing or considering prescribing any controlled substance;
• allowing a veterinarian with prescribing authority to query the PDMP about a current client or patient if the veterinarian has a reasonable basis to suspect the client has committed drug abuse or has mistreated an animal; and
• allowing a pharmacist to query the PDMP about a current patient for whom the pharmacist is dispensing any prescription drug, rather than only patients receiving controlled substances.

A handout was provided to the committee (Attachment J).



170216 AttachJ.pdf



02:25 PM -- Joe Neguse, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), testified in support of the bill.



02:30 PM -- Ronne Hines, DORA, testified in support to the bill.



02:35 PM -- Dr. Rob Valuck, Colorado Consortium on Prescription Drug Abuse, testified in support of the bill and responded to questions.



02:46 PM -- Jason Hoppe, Colorado Consortium on Prescription Drug Abuse, testified in support of the bill



02:48 PM -- Jose Esquibel, Office of the Attorney General, testified in support of the bill



02:51 PM -- Betsy Murray, Colorado Physical Therapy Association, testified in support of the bill.



02:53 PM



Committee members commented on the bill.

BILL:	SB17-146
TIME:	02:57:49 PM
MOVED:	Crowder
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 17-146 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar	Yes
	Crowder	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Martinez Humenik	Yes
	Smallwood	Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:05 PM -- HB 17-1046



Senator Donovan, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 17-1046. This bill updates terms in statute that refer to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities using outdated terminology. Under current law, the terms mentally retarded, mentally deficient person, mental deficiency, and mentally deficient are used; this bill replaces those terms with intellectual and developmental disability. Additionally, it replaces mental defect with mental illness, and physical defect with physical disability.



03:06 PM -- Marijo Rymer, The Arc of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.





03:09 PM -- Connor Long, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Committee comments and questions followed.



3:14 PM



Senator Aguilar distributed amendment L.002 (Attachment K).



170216 AttachK.pdf

BILL:	HB17-1046
TIME:	03:15:45 PM
MOVED:	Aguilar
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment K). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar
	Crowder
	Kefalas
	Martinez Humenik
	Smallwood
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:	HB17-1046
TIME:	03:18:50 PM
MOVED:	Crowder
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 17-1046, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar	Yes
	Crowder	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Martinez Humenik	Yes
	Smallwood	Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:21 PM -- SB 17-142



Senator Williams, bill sponsor, presented Senate Bill 17-142 and provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments L and M). Under current federal law, a patient who undergoes a mammogram must receive a report of the results. This bill requires that the mammography report include a specified notice when a patient's mammogram indicates that the patient has dense breast tissue. Specifically, the notice must inform the patients that:



170216 AttachL.pdf170216 AttachM.pdf

• their mammogram indicates that they have dense breast tissue;
• dense breast tissue is common and not abnormal;
• dense breast tissue can make interpreting mammogram results more difficult;
• dense breast tissue may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer; and
• the notice is provided to raise awareness and inform their conversations with their doctor.

The bill specifies that the required notice does not create a cause of action or a standard of care, obligation, or duty that provides the basis for a cause of action.



Senator Williams responded to questions from the committee.



03:28 PM -- Lori Gallegos, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



03:32 PM -- Dr. Kelly McAleese, Women's Imaging Center, testified in support of the bill. Committee comments and questions followed.



03:43 PM



Committee discussion followed.



03:53 PM -- Cindy Henke, QSUM Biopsy Disposables, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Henke responded to questions.











03:57 PM -- Tanya Kelly-Bowry, University of Colorado, testified in support of the bill. Committee discussion followed.



04:05 PM -- Dr. Taj Kattapuram, Colorado Radiological Society, testified in support of the bill. Dr. Kattapuram responded to questions.



04:08 PM -- Dr. Jerome Schraeder, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Dr. Schraeder responded to questions.



04:17 PM -- Dick Brown, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - Colorado Section, testified in support of the bill.



04:19 PM -- Dr. Stephania Timothy, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and provided a handout to the committee (Attachment N). Dr. Timothy responded to questions.



170216 AttachN.pdf



04:31 PM -- Mr. Brown responded to questions.



04:32 PM



Senator Williams read letters from Are You Dense? and the National Organization of Women in support of the bill.



04:42 PM



Committee members commented on the bill.

BILL:	SB17-142
TIME:	04:44:00 PM
MOVED:	Martinez Humenik
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 17-142 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 4-1.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar	No
	Crowder	Yes
	Kefalas	Yes
	Martinez Humenik	Yes
	Smallwood	Yes
Final YES: 4 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:45 PM



The meeting adjourned.