Category: News - Part 26

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…

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 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,…

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: 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…

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…

Opinion: Healthy Beginnings a daring experiment that works

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…

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,…

Opinion: Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate at heart of legal challenges

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…

Listeria in Colorado, E. coli in Europe vexing epidemiologists

By Diane Carman For Alicia Cronquist and fellow epidemiologists at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the recent listeria outbreak creates plenty of made-for-TV drama. The investigation under way is part CSI, part House, all with far greater urgency and complexity than any fictional drama could begin to depict. The timing of the listeria outbreak coinciding with the deadly outbreak of a previously unknown strain of E. coli in Europe has brought the work of epidemiological investigators into sharp focus this week. The United Nations News Service reported that as of Monday 22 people had died and more…