DENVER – Colorado’s Health Care Future issued the following statement following the Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing on House Bill 21-1232, which would create a new state government-controlled health insurance system, also called the state government option:

“Members of the Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard hours of testimony from a chorus of diverse voices opposed to creating a new state government-controlled health insurance system. The opposition to HB21-1232 is loud and clear:  Colorado’s health care community, physicians, hospitals, economic experts, unions, small business owners and skilled workers agree there are far too many important questions left unanswered about the consequences of this proposal.  As the state and health care system recovers from the pandemic, leaders expressed concern over the proposal that could disrupt Colorado’s integrated health care system and threaten Coloradans’ access to care.  Their voices led to the Committee’s decision to pause and reconsider the bill ahead of next week’s scheduled meeting,” said Colorado’s Health Care Future spokesman Tyler Mounsey.  

HB21-1232 is an ill-informed proposal that grants unprecedented power to an unelected government bureaucrat, includes government price-fixing measures that will fail to truly lower costs, while undermining Coloradans’ access to quality care, exorbitant fines and threats to shut down hospitals that do not accept the unsustainable reimbursement rate or participate in the standardized plan, and mandatory participation requirements with government rate setting that could drive physicians out of state and worsen the existing physician shortage – the results could be devastating, particularly for Colorado’s patients,” continued Mounsey.

Lawmakers would be wise to slow down, allow for much-needed analysis, and focus instead on solutions that strengthen our existing health care system – not a new state government-controlled health insurance system designed to fail those it is meant to help,” concluded Mounsey.