Legislation in Review 2015: What Worked and What Didn’t Under the Golden Dome

Colorado legislators said yes to efficiency bills and no to partisan measures during the 2015 session.

That's the conclusion of Legislation in Review, a Colorado Health Institute report released today. The report analyzes all health-related bills and discerns the top themes of the term.

The session's highlights included new laws to expand telehealth services and the ability of advanced practice nurses to prescribe drugs. 

Going in to the 2015 session, it was unclear whether the new Republican Senate majority and the Democratic House would be able to get along. While some bills found common ground, the session did see plenty of partisanship, and ideas that had support primarily from one party — such as shutting down Connect for Health Colorado or funding a free contraception program  — never came close to passing.

Governor John Hickenlooper was stymied when he received only Democratic support for his plan to cut future TABOR refunds by making an accounting change to a fee the state charges hospitals. That change could free up hundreds of millions of dollars in the state budget that otherwise would have gone to refunds, so we expect to see the issue return next year.

Published every spring, CHI's Legislation in Review serves as Colorado's go-to source for tracking health bills.The report highlights major bills that passed, looks at notable bills that failed, and identifies issues that are likely to resurface in the coming year.

For more information:

Aliie Morgan, policy analyst, 720-382-7083, morgana@coloradohealthinstitute.org

Joe Hanel, senior communications expert, 720-382-7093, hanelj@coloradohealthinstitute.org