Our Work
Since the legislative session ended May 7, the Colorado Health Institute has been hard at work analyzing the key health policy trends of 2014.
Now that the 2014 legislative session has come to an end, exhausted lawmakers are thrilled to finally have a break. But here at the Colorado Health Institute, our work is just beginning.
Many health policy experts extol the virtues of transparency as an effective way to generate competition in the health insurance and health care markets. They expect that consumers who better understand what they are paying for will make informed – what economists call rational - decisions.
With just under two weeks left in the legislative session, new bills are being introduced every day. Notably, a bipartisan group of legislators has introduced a bill to address rising health care costs in Colorado.
Containing health care costs is a hot topic this legislative session, and now there’s a new bill from the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that aims to tackle the issue head on.
The January rollout of Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana, has made Colorado the subject of a national viewing party. As the only state with operating retail stores, we are at the center of attention. Still, it may come as a surprise that many marijuana policy decisions are in the hands of local governments.
Less than a month remains in Colorado’s legislative session, and the Capitol is buzzing with activity. The long appropriations bill has passed the House and Senate, and now differences must be reconciled by a Conference Committee, comprised of Joint Budget Committee members.
The annual long appropriations bill always has significant ramifications for health care in Colorado, and this year is no different.
With the introduction of the long appropriations bill in the House this week, legislators are in the thick of budget discussions. The bill heads to the Senate next week, where legislators will continue their debate over the proposed state budget package.
We are more than halfway through the session, and our team at CHI continues to track the progress and introduction of health-related legislation. A few notable bills were introduced since last week.