Landmark Healthcare Act Approved in Colorado

[Ron Zwerin]

The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) was
pleased to learn that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
has given approval to Colorado Medicaid’s proposal to collect a hospital
provider fee. CHA and Gov. Ritter’s office developed the Colorado
hospital provider fee proposal that would insure an additional 100,000
Coloradans.

“With the implementation of the hospital provider fee moving forward, the state
of Colorado leads the nation in bringing true benefits to its citizens.
More uninsured Coloradans will have access to health coverage as early as May
1 thanks to the diligent efforts of the state in working with hospitals
and health systems throughout Colorado,” said Steven J. Summer, president
and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association. “The provider fee also helps
reduce unreimbursed healthcare costs, which in turn benefits all Colorado
citizens and businesses by reducing the shifting of costs to the private sector.”

When fully implemented, this sustainable source of funding will provide
health
care coverage through the Colorado Health Care Affordability Act.
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1251600835275&ssbinary=true In addition, it will expand healthcare coverage to those in need as well
as reduce the need for cost-shifting to private payers. The provider fee
helps patients, employers and small businesses throughout Colorado.

“The department, the governor’s office and the Colorado Hospital
Association
have worked on this proposal for over a year,” said Joan Henneberry,
executive
director of the http://www.colorado.gov/hcpf">Department
of Health
Care Policy and Financing. “The Hospital Provider Fee Oversight and
Advisory Board (OAB) comprised of representatives from urban and rural
hospitals, the Colorado Hospital Association and private physicians
worked
diligently since June 2009, to provide informed guidance to the
department to
meet the goals of the Affordability Act.”

May 1, 2010, marks the implementation of the first phase of the Act. For
a
family of four with a household income of $55,125 per year, children and
pregnant women will be eligible for Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+).
Parents in a
family of four who have children on Medicaid can make up to $22,000 per
year.

“This is a great day for Colorado. We have made significant progress on the road to thoughtful reform by providing coverage for 100,000 mothers, children, people with
disabilities, and other Colorado residents,” said Gov. Ritter. “This will pay off
in both fiscal and personal health for our state and its residents and
will be accomplished without additional costs to the General Fund.”

About the Colorado Hospital Association

The Colorado Hospital Association represents 94 hospitals and health systems throughout Colorado: private and government-owned, metropolitan and rural, investor-owned and
not-for-profit. CHA members provide care for more than 471,000
patients in general, academic, specialty and rehabilitation
hospitals, 1.6 million emergency room visits and over 7 million
outpatient visits. Together, we work tirelessly to ensure that all
Coloradans have access to high quality, affordable health care provided
through an appropriately financed healthcare delivery system. For
more information, visit www.cha.com.