Rep. Amy Stephens Joins Colorado Health Institute as Policy Adviser

State Rep. Amy Stephens has joined the Colorado Health Institute as a policy adviser.

Rep. Stephens brings a state and national perspective on ideas and trends in health policy to CHI, a nonpartisan research institute. In her advisory role, she will help CHI ensure that it is researching and analyzing health policy proposals from across the political spectrum.

Stephens, R-Monument, is regarded as one of the legislature's leading health policy experts. She served on the House Health and Human Services Committee in 2007 and 2008 and the House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee in  2013 and 2014. She also served as House Majority Leader in 2011 and 2012. She is leaving the House because of term limits at the end of the year.

"Health is often considered to be a liberal concern, but the mission of the Colorado Health Institute is to make sure that health and health policy is a universal concern," said Michele Lueck, president and CEO.

During her eight years at the Capitol, Stephens sponsored a number of health bills, including the legislation that created the Connect for Health Colorado insurance marketplace (SB 11-200). Her sponsorship helped make Colorado the first state afterpassage of the Affordable Care Act whose legislature created a health insurance marketplace with a bipartisan majority.

Stephens was one of four bipartisan sponsors of this year’s SB 187, which created the Colorado Commission on Affordable Care.

 "One thing that is certain is that we have absolute uncertainty in health care today," Stephens said. "As a legislator, I’ve appreciated the even-handed professionalism of CHI’s research. Today, I’m excited to be working with CHI to explore health care policy ideas being done nationally and in specific states so that we can evaluate their effectiveness and potential applicability for Colorado."

Stephens owned Fresh Ideas Communication & Consulting from 2001 to 2008. She worked at Focus on the Family from 1991 to 2001 as manager of public policy and manager of the youth culture department.

She brings extensive national and international policy experience to the Colorado Health Institute. She grew up in Hong Kong and  represented Focus on the Family at the United Nations Conference on Families in Geneva, Switzerland.

She is a board member of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Women’s Legislative Network, and a former board member of the Colorado Technology Association.