Our Work
The information overload that accompanies every election cycle illustrates just how pressing the need is for trusted, neutral sources of data – and this is precisely why I am so pleased to have joined CHI as their director of legislative services.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ACA, states are now deciding whether to expand their Medicaid programs to cover additional low-income residents. And while states will ultimately make this determination, they aren’t the only players vested in the decision.
When my fellowship at CHI began last month, I decided to quickly learn the jargon by writing new health terms on sticky notes and putting them above my desk. As someone who has always had a keen interest in public health, even I found that learning to speak “health” is no easier than college Spanish.
Next on the agenda for Colorado, now that the health reform law has been ruled constitutional, is selecting the essential health benefit benchmark plan. Sara Schmitt blogs about why this decision is so important.
CHI’s newest issue brief, The Supreme Court Ruling on the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Colorado, explores the impact of the decision—both the questions it answered and the questions it didn’t.
The latest economic forecast from the legislative council revealed that the General Assembly is expected to have 6 percent more to spend in FY 2013-14 than what they budgeted for FY 2012-13.
Health care policy during the 2012 legislature may have lacked the pyrotechnical drama of civil unions and special sessions. But much good and thoughtful work was done, particularly in rethinking how to make existing programs work better for clients and taxpayers.
The difficulties in the last days of the session should not detract from the hard work and the successful efforts to create innovative solutions to improve health services in Colorado.
While we await the Supreme Court’s constitutional prognosis of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I’ve been reflecting on how – if at all – the past can inform us about the future.
It’s fitting that the last bill passed by the House Health and Environment Committee embodies one of the prevailing themes of this legislative session: improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government.