DENVER – During Wednesday’s Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing on House Bill 21-1232, lawmakers expressed serious concerns about the costs and consequences of creating a new state government option. While the Committee voted to advance the proposal, the majority of the Committee was reluctant to support the bill and voiced a broad range of concerns with the many unanswered questions and unknown consequences with its design and function.

From the lack of detail and data measuring the impact on health equity, to the rationale behind the penalties to doctors and hospitals, to the potential risks of patient access by mandating doctor participation, to the ambiguity that out-of-pocket costs and premiums would increase for low-income Coloradans – the bill sponsor was unable to provide answers, solutions or analysis to the questions or concerns raised by the Committee.

Colorado’s lawmakers are facing immense pressure to advance HB21-1232 without receiving critical answers and data to the important questions that were raised during the Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearings this week. To hold the bill sponsors and proponents accountable to provide the necessary answers and information on the impacts on the proposal, Colorado’s Health Care Future launched a ‘Days Without Answers’ counter and checklist of all the unanswered questions to help lawmakers track down the answers.

Lawmakers would be wise to slow down to make sure they receive responses to their unanswered questions about a proposal that could disrupt Colorado’s integrated health care system and threaten Coloradans’ access to care before their next vote. 
 

• To download the checklist, CLICK HERE.