By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Colorados new health exchange board meets for the first time next week and must immediately get to work. This is a roll-up-your-sleeves, we-need-your-expertise kind of board, said Joan Henneberry, director of the Colorado health insurance exchange at the Colorado Health Institute. For the first three to four months, the board is going to be very busy. This board is building something from scratch. Heres what is on deck for the new board and a summary of priorities for board members who returned calls to Solutions. Among the first agenda items: Evaluating and interpreting the regulations that…
Category: Public Health Issues - Part 25
By Lara Hardesty, M.D. New studies show that women in their 40s are getting mammograms less frequently after much-publicized new guidelines came out in 2009. I am greatly concerned that these guidelines are subjecting women to unnecessary risk. I have been director of Breast Imaging at the University of Colorado since 2005 and have been sub-specializing in all aspects of breast imaging (mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, breast needle biopsies) since 1997. As such, I recommend annual screening mammography for my patients beginning at age 40, as recommended by the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology. In…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
By Bob Semro The individual mandate is a fundamental part of last years national health care reform law. Under the Affordable Care Act in 2014, Americans who do not have health insurance will be required, or mandated, to purchase coverage or pay a tax penalty. Exemptions will be granted for financial hardship, religious reasons or if the price of the lowest-cost plan exceeds 8 percent of annual income. After the act was signed into law by President Obama, the individual mandate was challenged in a number of federal courts. In perhaps the most important case, 26 state attorneys general (including…
By Susan H. France Doctors can be scary. This is true for anyone, but more so for some. Imagine you are a low-income single mom with small children. You have a past filled with disappointment and disruption, bad luck and bad choices. You may have been mistreated very possibly abused. You have untreated health issues that you try to ignore. Your infrequent encounters with authority have not gone well. You have learned to keep your head down. Now at Warren Village, a community of single-parent families working to together to become self-sufficient through school, work and community service, you want…
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,…