Monthly Archives: June 2011

Insurance gives ‘soup man’ lifeline after stroke

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon EVERGREEN Thunder rumbles through this mountain town, loudly heralding a summer storm that puts locals in the mood for a hot lunch. At Da Kind Soups, owners Dustin and Ariane Speck (the D & A in the restaurants name) serve steaming bowls of soup to customers who duck in out of the rain. Every day, there are 10 fresh soups that Dustin has created that morning, ranging from their best-selling tomato to spicy Cajun shrimp, mushroom rosemary, buffalo chili and special concoctions like a pumpkin bisque with chocolate shavings. On this June day, a young woman,…

Opinion: Getting US Covered celebrates first anniversary

By Marguerite Salazar The Colorado community will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the GettingUSCovered health plan on July 1. GettingUSCovered is a Colorado-specific program under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 that provides comprehensive health insurance for eligible uninsured Coloradans with a pre-existing condition who have gone without coverage for six months. This new health plan is designed to act as a temporary bridge to 2014 when Americans will have access to affordable health insurance choices through a competitive marketplace called an exchange. Also, in 2014, thanks to the new consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act,…

Insurance for sickest patients costs over $12 million in first year

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon A new health insurance program for Coloradans with pre-existing conditions has enrolled just 800 people in its first year, but is costing much more than expected: more than $12 million so far. Under the Affordable Care Act, Colorado is due to receive $90 million for its new high-risk health pool called GettingUSCovered.Actuaries predicted that 4,000 people would participate in the program between July of last year and January 2014, when the Affordable Care Act goes into full effect and insurance companies can no longer turn down people who have suffered previous illnesses. Nationwide, high-risk health pools…

DeGette renews push for stem cell research

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette visited Craig Hospital on Wednesday to build momentum once again for bipartisan stem cell research legislation. DeGette, a Denver Democrat, and her new Republican cosponsor, U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Penn.), introduced H.R. 2376 on June 24. Twice, DeGette successfully shepherded stem cell research legislation through Congress only to have former President George W. Bush veto the measures. DeGette is hoping to win support from new Republicans in the House, then eventually send the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act to President Obama. Disease doesnt know any partisan boundaries, DeGette said, noting that her…

Hickenlooper names Jim Riesberg Insurance Commissioner

Rep. Jim Riesberg, D-Greeley, will resign his House seat on Thursday to become Colorados new insurance commissioner starting Friday, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced on Monday. Jim has deep experience as a legislator and public servant. He also has a distinguished career in the insurance, human resources and private sectors, Hickenlooper said in a prepared statement. He shares our commitment to an ethic of outstanding customer service and we are pleased to have him as the new commissioner. Riesberg will replace John J. Postolowski, who was appointed as interim insurance commissioner on December 1. Postolowski joined the Division of Insurance in…

Opinion: Both sides argue individual mandate 
in U.S. Court of Appeals

By Bob Semro The future of national health care reform under the Affordable Care Act may hinge on a single provision in the new law. The individual mandate, or the minimum essential coverage provision, requires most uninsured Americans to purchase health coverage or pay a tax penalty. The big question is whether the individual mandate is constitutional. Twenty-six state attorneys general (25 Republicans, including Colorados John Suthers, and one Democrat) have joined the state of Florida in challenging the mandate. That case, State of Florida vs. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, represents the most significant test of the…

Opinion: Affordable Care Act pushes limits of constitutionality

By David B. Kopel Within a few weeks, the federal courts of appeal may begin handing down their decisions in the constitutional challenges to President Obamas Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (PPACA). By now, almost everyone agrees that one or more of these cases is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. When the PPACA was moving through Congress, there was a lot of bluster from proponents of the law, who insisted that there were absolutely no potential constitutional problems. Most famously, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scoffed Are you serious? to a journalists question about the laws constitutionality. As it…

Opinion: Importance of payment reform cannot be overstated

By Michael Pramenko, M.D. Earlier this year, more than 100 physicians attended the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) Physician Summit on Payment Reform in Denver. Ninety-eight percent of them left the summit wanting to hear more and willing to stay involved with the discussion. The importance of payment reform cannot be overstated. Heres why. For years now, physicians have been talking about how the practice of medicine is changing. Weve been talking about our new realities, including decreasing reimbursement relative to inflation and the difficulty of maintaining a practice. At the same time, a wide range of public and private stakeholders,…

Health care enters digital age … at last

By Myung Oak Kim Most doctors in Colorado and across the United States still use a pen and paper to keep medical records. But those days are numbered. The health care industry is (finally) stepping firmly into the digital age. Spurred by new incentives and regulations from the federal government, thousands of medical providers are making the costly and arduous transition to electronic medical files, digital information sharing and computerized analysis of patient data to improve care and reduce costs. Were finally joining the rest of the world, said Michael Pramenko, president of the Colorado Medical Society, the Dr. Michael…

Student-run clinic offers care to kids in need

By Diane Carman Years ago when Teresa Long was a resident at Warren Village, she tentatively signed up for an appointment for well-child care at something called the Healthy Beginnings clinic, just to see what it was like. One of her children had a seizure disorder and all of them needed routine immunizations, treatment for the occasional cold or flu virus, check-ups and care for the bumps and bruises that come with normal childhood. The clinic was held nearly every Wednesday evening at Warren Village. It was free and residents could access it right where they lived. It was fabulous,…