News - Part 34

More calls for resignations of “insider” from industry-heavy health board

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon A second large consumer group representing 500,000 Coloradans joined the call Tuesday for the resignation of a health industry insider from Colorados new health exchange board. The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative called on Eric Grossman, vice president of strategy and government affairs for TriZetto, a Greenwood Village health IT company, to step down from the nine-member board. Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed Grossman to serve as on the board that will design a new online health insurance marketplace for Colorado by Jan. 1, 2014. He was supposed to be one of the non-industry appointees, but consumer groups…

Colorado best in fat nation, but obesity epidemic alarms health experts

By Diane Carman A study released Thursday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundationreaffirmed Colorados ranking as the leanest state in the nation, but found that Coloradans are caught up in the same ominous trend toward obesity that is occurring across the country and much of the world. Were the leanest, but were moving in the wrong direction, said James O. Hill, director of the University of Colorado School of Medicines Center for Human Nutrition. Clearly were getting fatter. The report, entitled F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens Americas Future, found that Mississippi had the highest obesity rate in the…

Opinion: Mammography guidelines have chilling effect on breast cancer screening

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…

Health exchange starts from scratch

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…

Foxes guarding the henhouse? Consumer advocates cry foul over health board

By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Gov. John Hickenlooper appointed a consultant to Colorados new health insurance exchange board who has instructed clients in the insurance industry on how to find gold in the exchanges. A strict conflict of interest policy is supposed to prevent people with direct financial interests from running the exchange board, which could funnel as many as 400,000 new Colorado clients into the states health insurance market. But, the newly appointed board includes four heads of health insurance companies, along with Eric Grossman, an executive with a privately held company called TriZetto, based in Greenwood Village. TriZetto bills…

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…