By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon As Colorados health exchange managers sprint toward an October 1 launch, a top manager warned board members on Monday that a recent decision to build a new eligibility IT system poses the greatest risk of delay and could undermine the quality of the online health marketplace. Adele Work, who is leading implementation for the exchange, made a presentation about key implementation risks during a technology update for the board. No. 1 on that list of risks is the new decision to divide one planned IT system into two. The report to the board said that IT…
Category: Legislation - Part 8
By Stephanie Wasserman We know that childhood vaccines are a safe, easy, and cost-effective way to help prevent disease and keep children healthy as they grow. Research shows that children who are vaccinated experience fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations and premature deaths. But, unfortunately, many kids dont have access to routine vaccinations. Thats why the Colorado Childrens Immunization Coalition (CCIC) comprised of over 300 doctors, researchers, public health experts, parents, and business leaders is supporting Senate Bill 222, which would help keep Colorado kids healthy by providing better access to vaccines. CCIC was formed in 1991 to raise awareness and improve…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Colorados health exchange is supposed to debut in just six months, but having the technology ready by Oct. 1 may be an impossible task. Critical problems threaten the system, ranging from a lack of coordination with the states technology office and historic problems with state IT systems to poor oversight by exchange managers and contractors and the potential for serious conflicts of interest among those charged with creating the complex multi-million dollar exchange system. Among the challenges are: The inability of health exchange managers to work directly with tech experts at Colorados Office of Information Technology…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Its not quite time to hang the Mission Accomplished banner, but managers of the long-disastrous Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) say they are well on their way to fixing it. While Kristin Russell, Colorados secretary of technology and chief information officer, is barred from overseeing IT at Colorados health exchange, she vowed that CBMS will work and will connect seamlessly with the exchange system by Oct. 1. Thats the target date for the exchange to open to customers. (Click here to read about tech troubles that could hobble the $66 million health exchange system.) We will…
By Vicki Cowart Over the past decade as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, I have heard countless stories from parents who struggle having the talk with their teens. Through the work of PPRMs Responsible Sex Education Institute, I also hear stories from teachers and principals about wanting more support to equip students with appropriate information about sexual health. And from the many teens our educators speak to on a weekly and daily basis, we know that teens are curious they want real answers and real information about sexual health and whats going on with their…
By Diane Carman The Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted Thursday to support Medicaid expansion in Colorado. And while no one appeared in the four-hour hearing to testify against the bill, SB 200, an exchange between Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, and representatives of the health insurance industry vividly illustrated why objections to expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act are waning in Colorado and across the country. I understand why the business community is trying to grasp onto short-term advantage by grabbing the federal cash, said Lundberg, fuming, but Obamacare is designed to shut the private sector down. I…
By Bob Semro The expansion of Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act will help thousands of Colorado families who lack insurance. Youve probably heard that. What you might not have heard is that the expansion will greatly benefit a large number of Colorados aging baby boomers. These are low-income residents between the ages of 50 and 64 who may be in great need of health care coverage but often are not be able to afford it. Senate Bill 200, which recently passed in the Colorado Senates Health and Human Services Committee by a bipartisan vote of 5-2, is the…
By Margie Ball Cook, RN, Ph.D. Colorados seniors are benefiting as never before from prescription drugs that are saving and prolonging their lives and uplifting the quality of those lives. And believe it or not, a federal program Medicare Part D has played a pivotal role in that success. Part D saves U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars, stimulates investment in breakthrough pharmaceutical research, and is immensely popular among some 30 million Americans who take advantage of it. Its not often you can say that about any government effort, and Medicares singularly successful Part D program represents a distinct exception. Enacted…
By Linda Gorman Medicaid expansion would limit access to care for the significant fraction of the currently uninsured who would otherwise be eligible for federal premium subsidies under Obamacare. It raises costs for state taxpayers, increases costs for people who are hospitalized and prevents state insurers from collecting millions of dollars in federal subsidy money. Naturally, the Colorado Hospital Association favors it. The proposed expansion would allow able-bodied working age adults with incomes under 138 percent of the federal poverty level to enroll in Medicaid. A significant fraction of able-bodied adults between 19 and 54 with incomes below 138 percent…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon The retirees were so deep in the closet in their younger years that no one even talked about closets. Thats because few in their generation ever dared to come out, fearing that acknowledging being gay meant they would lose jobs, be run out of town or face violence. Today, as Colorado lawmakers are legalizing civil unions, President Obama has affirmed gay marriage and even the Boy Scouts are considering revisions to decades of discrimination, many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors remain hidden and, as a result, dont get the health care they need. A 2011…