Second Regular Session | 74th General Assembly
Colorado General AssemblyThe General Assembly adopted several measures during the 2021 legislative session related to health care and insurance.
The harmful effects of secondhand smoke and emissions from tobacco, marijuana, and electronic smoking devices continue to be an issue in Colorado. Since 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified secondhand tobacco smoke as a known cause of cancer.
Many pieces of legislation regarding health care and health insurance made their way through the 74th General Assembly. Most of the legislation fell into the following categories: removing barriers to treatment, and licensing requirements.
Health insurance is a method of paying or receiving reimbursement for health care costs from covered services. Health insurance companies spread the costs and risk of covered health care services across all members of a plan in exchange for premiums and other cost-sharing mechanisms, such as...
Addressing the substance use disorder epidemic and providing behavioral health resources to communities throughout Colorado were the two major behavioral health care themes that emerged during the Second Regular Session of the 74th General Assembly. Important behavioral health bills are...
Prior authorization—sometimes referred to as preauthorization or precertification—is a process by which an insurer reviews a request for health care services or drugs before consenting to cover the costs of the proposed treatment. Upon receiving a request, an insurer can approve or deny the...
The 74th General Assembly passed numerous pieces of legislation regarding public health. While not all of the public health legislation fell into these groups, three major themes for public health were: screenings and early prevention, maternal health, and increasing access.
The relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health has prompted a rise in regulatory policy across the nation and in Colorado. This memorandum examines social media use and adolescent health outcomes, the predominant policy frameworks in this domain, and federal and state...
The committee studies the implementation of Colorado's health exchange. It reviews and approves grants applied for by the exchange's board of directors to implement the exchange, approves the exchange's executive director, and recommends legislation on the operation of the exchange.
Colorado currently administers ten Home- and Community-Based Services Medicaid (HCBS) Waivers. This issue brief discusses the four waivers available to children.
Colorado currently administers ten Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid (HCBS) Waivers. This issue brief discusses the six waivers available to adults.