GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO. – March 5, 2020 – CHA issued the following statement regarding the legislation to create the Colorado Option:

“Colorado Hospital Association and its member hospitals and health systems are committed to bringing meaningful, long-term solutions to health care affordability in Colorado,” said Chris Tholen, CHA president and CEO. “Just as our hospitals and health systems work every day to protect Coloradans’ access to care that they can depend on – especially in times of great need – we are also working to ensure that care is affordable for our communities.

“Unfortunately, despite bold promises and inflammatory rhetoric, the ‘Colorado Option’ is just a repeat of failed policies. It fails to expand coverage to the overwhelming majority of Colorado’s uninsured. The ‘savings’ benefit only a select few. And it will weaken the state’s health care system on which so many Coloradans rely.

“This proposal is too narrowly focused, paying for all of the promised savings through cuts to hospitals. It largely ignores critical components of the health care system, including insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Just as important, this proposal is untested and is based on a flawed policy – rate setting – that has been attempted and failed in nearly a dozen other states.

“Instead of building upon years of work to shift our health care system from volume to value, the state option doubles down on a broken fee-for-service system. And establishing government price controls and forcing insurers and hospitals to participate will undermine, not support, other affordability efforts underway, especially community purchasing alliances supported by hospitals and employers across the state.

“Meaningful reform will require comprehensive solutions to address the total cost of care for all Coloradans by working collaboratively with all segments of the health care system. We ask legislators to oppose this proposal. This is not the time to weaken our health care system, and this is the wrong option for Colorado.”

About Colorado Hospital Association

Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) is the leading voice of Colorado’s hospital and health system community. Representing more than 100 member hospitals and health systems throughout the state, CHA serves as a trusted, credible and reliable resource on health issues, hospital data and trends for its members, media, policymakers and the general public. Through CHA, Colorado’s hospitals and health systems work together in their shared commitment to improve health and health care in Colorado. For more information, visit www.cha.com.

# # #