Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Health Care Reform Developments In Colorado, New Mexico

February 18, 2008 – 10:57 pm | posted in Health Insurance

Summaries of health care reform developments in Colorado and New Mexico appear below.

* Colorado: Gov. Bill Ritter (D) on Wednesday announced a series of health care proposals that would expand coverage to an additional 200,000 uninsured state residents, the AP/Denver Post reports (Paulson, AP/Denver Post, 2/13). The proposals, which must be approved by the state Legislature, include: expanding eligibility for SCHIP to children in families with incomes up to 225% of the federal poverty level; increasing outreach efforts to enroll in SCHIP or Medicaid 70,000 children who are eligible but not enrolled in the programs; increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to encourage more physicians to accept beneficiaries; and establishing a Center for Improving Value in Health Care within the state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing that would discuss strategies to reduce health care costs with business leaders, hospital executives and insurance companies (Brown, Denver Post, 2/14). The proposals also include a plan to create an online report card on insurance companies (Sealover, Colorado Springs Gazette, 2/14). The plan initially would cost $25 million, and federal funding could increase spending by about $40 million annually (Denver Post, 2/14).

* New Mexico: Gov. Bill Richardson (D) on Tuesday said he might call a special session of the state Legislature if lawmakers do not make changes in a health care proposal (HB 62) that is pending in the state Senate, the AP/Santa Fe New Mexican reports. Richardson wants lawmakers to revise a provision of the bill to read that the governor would have the ability to appoint the executive director of a proposed health care authority. As passed by the state House, the 11 voting members of the authority would hire the executive director. Richardson also said that he would lobby the state Legislature in 2009 to address the employer and individual mandate provisions of the proposal, which the House did not include. The state Legislature adjourns Thursday (Massey, AP/Santa Fe New Mexican, 2/12).

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