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Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Legislative Health Benefit Exchange Implementation Review Committee.

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Health Benefit Exchange Implementation Review Committee.

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Health Benefit Exchange Implementation Review Committee.

Report No. 2019-TE1

Report No. 2023-TE11

Many bills were introduced this year addressing health care and the insurance industry in Colorado. Recurring topics this session including reproductive health care, hospital and facility policies, prescription drugs, and consumer protections.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health benefits and services to Coloradans who meet eligibility requirements. Each state administers its own Medicaid program, and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) set standards for the program to receive federal financial participation. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) oversees Colorado’s Medicaid. This issue brief summarizes the process to add benefits under Medicaid.

The committee studies the implementation of Colorado's health exchange. It reviews and approves grants applied for by the exchange's board of directors to implement the exchange, approves the exchange's executive director, and recommends legislation on the operation of the exchange.

The General Assembly adopted several measures during the 2022 legislative session related to health care and health insurance.    

During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to behavioral health, including several bills recommended by Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force to address gaps in the continuum of care using federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, as well as bills addressing the establishment of the Behavioral Health Administration, youth and students, mental health holds, and crisis system facilities.

The opioid epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rise of homelessness strained Colorado’s behavioral health system.  This memorandum covers the actions the Colorado General Assembly has taken to strengthen Colorado’s behavioral health care system, including creating the Behavioral Health Administration, strengthening the behavioral health care workforce, increasing rural health care access, and treating and preventing substance abuse issues.

This issue brief provides an overview of minors’ rights to deny others access to medical records under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and Colorado state law.  It also discusses state law pertaining to the ability of minors to consent to medical care.

Report No. 2022-TE37

Behavioral health continued to be a focus of the General Assembly in 2023.  Several bills addressing behavioral health services, mental health providers, step therapy requirements for mental health drugs, substance use, and disordered eating were considered during the legislative session.

During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly considered a number of measures related to Medicaid, insurance carriers, and health care facilities.  It also considered measures concerning substance use disorders, health care costs, and the health care workforce.

Pursuant to Section 10‑16-221, C.R.S., the Statewide Health Care Review Committee was created to study health care issues across the state.

The Interim Committee on Opiod and other Substance Use Disorders was created pursuant to Section 10-22.3-101.  

Colorado currently administers ten Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid (HCBS) Waivers. This issue brief discusses the six waivers available to adults.

Colorado currently administers ten Home- and Community-Based Services Medicaid (HCBS) Waivers. This issue brief discusses the four waivers available to children.

Summary Report for the Opioid and Other Substance Abuse Disorders Study Committee.  

This memorandum provides information on Colorado's mandated health insurance benefits.  Table 1, Colorado Health Insurance Mandates, provides a description of current state laws governing insurance benefits.  The mandates are listed in the table alphabetically.

This memorandum provides an overview of how the spread of the coronavirus and associated disease (COVID-19) has prompted insurers, federal and state health organizations, and behavioral and mental health organizations to adopt policies that support and encourage the use of telehealth.  Telehealth enables long-distance health care and other health-related services to occur with the use of telecommunication technology.

This memorandum provides an overview of temporary changes the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) implemented in response to the spread of COVID-19 and associated declaration of a disaster emergency by Governor Polis on March 11, 2020.  The DOI in the Department of Regulatory Agencies regulates the insurance industry in Colorado, including insurance carriers selling life, health, title, and property and casualty insurance, and insurance agents.