Monthly Archives: June 2013 - Part 2

Opinion: Consumer revolution needed for real health care reform

By Francis M. Miller The launching of the exchange in October is taking on the appearance of the Kentucky Derby. The insurance companies are in the gates and the uninsured, if you believe Connect for Colorado ads, are drinking mint juleps and wearing big hats. I view all of this with a jaundiced eye. There is no doubt that health care has been on a slippery slope for years and the rocks at the bottom spell market failure. We have no other choice than to attribute the source of this failure to the players in the market. We place blame…

Opinion: Access to health care major issue for LGBT Coloradans

By Sarah Mapes Recently, the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Coloradans have been a major political issue nationally as well as locally. This legislative session, the passage of Senate Bill 13-011legalized civil unions for same-sex couples in Colorado after many prior attempts. In addition, the Division of Insurance made changes to current regulations to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month in June, there are many more new opportunities for Colorados LGBT community than in years past. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that LGBT Coloradans have…

Exchange must offer voter registration, activists say

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Voting rights activists say Colorados health exchange must serve as a mandatory voter registration agency, butexchange managers contend they do not need to comply with the law popularly known as the Motor Voter Act. For now, activists with Colorado Common Causeare trying to encourage exchange managers to comply with the law. But if negotiations fail, they may sue the exchange. Why, you might ask, is there any link between voter registration and an online marketplace to help people shop for health insurance? The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires agencies, such as drivers license bureaus…

Rates vary widely, should promote brisk insurance market

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Competition among health insurance companies should be brisk in Colorado, according to an analysis by a consumer health advocacy group. As weve dug more deeply, weve seen enough competition that we think Colorados going to have a really good marketplace, said Dede de Percin, executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI). Despite doomsday predictions, the state is not seeing rate shock, so many of the choices will be more affordable, especially with the subsidies. Regulators from Colorados Division of Insurance (DOI) are reviewing all proposed plans and must approve or deny them by July…

Feds require contingency plans for health exchange

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Federal health officials have required Colorado to create contingency plans in case the states health exchange cant function as planned by the beginning of October. Documents that Solutions obtained show that Colorado health exchange managers are preparing for three primary problems that could undermine the planned Oct. 1 launch: A federal data hub that does not work and therefore cannot verify income, immigration status or whether people applying for health plans are living behind bars. A recent report from the Government Accounting Office has found that potential problems with the hub could hamper state exchanges. The…

Opinion: Colorado economy depends on drug innovation

By April Giles Gov. John Hickenlooper recently highlighted the vital work of Colorados biopharmaceutical industry. Weve had over 3,000 clinical trials of new medicines since 1999, he said. They allow health care providers new opportunities to predict, pre-empt and prevent illness. It was a timely reminder. Our state hosts more than 600 bioscience firms and employs over 122,000 Coloradoans in direct and indirect jobs. A new report by the Analysis Group titled Innovation in the Biopharmaceutical Pipeline: A Multidimensional View shows that thousands of promising new drugs are in development, but we need to ensure that these promising innovations arent…