s_hhs_2016a_2016-04-14t13:32:54z1 Hearing Summary

Date: 04/14/2016

02:00 PM -- HB 16-1336



Senator Donovan, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1336. The reengrossed bill requires the Commissioner of Insurance in the Department of Regulatory Agencies to conduct a study to determine the impacts and viability of establishing a single geographic area for use in determining the premium rates for individual health insurance plans issued in Colorado. In conducting the study, the Commissioner of Insurance must consider factors that affect differentiation in the premium rates throughout different geographic areas of the state, including differentiation in health care costs throughout the state for prescription drugs, provider rates, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, and other hospital procedures and services.



The study must be completed no later than August 1, 2016. The commissioner must report and present the findings and recommendations of the study to the Joint Budget Committee. The commissioner must also send the report to the House Health, Insurance, and Environment Committee, the House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee, and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.



02:04 PM -- Steve Reynolds, Club 20, spoke in support of the bill.



02:07 PM -- Dan Gibbs, Summit County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill and distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment B).



160414 AttachB.pdf



02:11 PM -- Jill Ryan, Eagle County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill and provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments C and D).



160414 AttachC.pdf160414 AttachD.pdf



02:14 PM -- Rachel Richards, Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill and provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments E and F).



160414 AttachE.pdf160414 AttachF.pdf



02:18 PM -- Mike Bordogna, Lake County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill.



02:20 PM -- Philip Chamberland, Gunnison County Board of County Commissioner, testified in support of the bill.



02:23 PM -- Tom Jankovsky, Garfield County Board of County Commissioner, testified in support of the bill.



02:26 PM



Committee questions and discussion followed. The committee discussed the Colorado Commission on Affordable Health Care rural health care study.





02:30 PM -- Randy MacGregor, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:34 PM -- Richard Backe, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:39 PM -- Gini Pingenot, Colorado Counties, Inc., spoke in support of bill.



02:41 PM -- Kevin Bommer, Colorado Municipal League, spoke in support of the bill and responded to questions from the committee.





02:45 PM



Senator Donovan commented on the committee's concerns about whether to include national data in the study established by the bill. Committee discussion followed. Mr. Bommer responded to committee concerns.



02:51 PM -- Eileen Waldow, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



02:53 PM -- Francie de Vos, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:55 PM -- DiAnn Butler, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:56 PM -- Alice Pugh, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:59 PM -- David Rossi, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.



03:03 PM -- Erin Miller, Colorado Children's Campaign, spoke in support of the bill.



03:05 PM -- Debra Judy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, spoke in support of the bill.



03:07 PM -- Charlie Sheffield, Colorado Association of Health Plans, testified on the bill in a neutral position and responded to questions from the committee.



03:10 PM -- Virginia Morrison Love, American's Health Insurance Plans, testified on the bill in a neutral position and responded to questions.





03:18 PM



Committee questions ensued.



03:23 PM



Marguerite Salazar, Colorado Commissioner of Insurance, Peg Brown, Colorado Division of Insurance, and Tom Abel, Colorado Division of Insurance, responded to questions from the committee.





03:37 PM



A map of the current geographic areas was distributed to the committee members (Attachment G).



160414 AttachG.pdf



03:39 PM



Senator Donovan made closing comments.

160414 AttachH.pdf