Colorado Hospital Association Moves to Neutral on Proposed Amended Public Option Legislation

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO. – April 26, 2021 – This morning, the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Trustees voted to move to neutral on House Bill (HB) 21-1232, the proposed state public option, if it is amended as agreed upon with the bill sponsors.

“CHA and Colorado hospitals and health systems remain committed to improving access to high-quality, affordable health care,” said Chris Tholen, CHA president and CEO. “For the past several months, we have worked tirelessly with the bill sponsors, the Polis administration, our health care industry partners, and other key stakeholders to develop a solution that can achieve those goals while minimizing the adverse impacts on Colorado’s hospitals. CHA and our Board carefully weighed and balanced the risks associated with this legislation.

“If the bill is amended as we have agreed to with the sponsors, the Association is moving to neutral. We will re-evaluate our position if there are significant material changes made to the bill that impact Colorado hospitals. We thank the sponsors, Reps. Dylan Roberts and Iman Jodeh and Sen. Kerry Donovan, and members of the administration for their collaborative approach working on this bill.

“At the same time, we recognize this is an unprecedented intervention into our private health insurance markets and will require continuous evaluation to understand the impact on affordability and access to quality health care. The affordability improvements intended by this bill are dependent on the sacrifice and management of Colorado’s hospitals. These are the very same hospitals who supported Colorado at every turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were and continue to be there for their communities. It is critical that we carefully implement this legislation and monitor it to be sure that hospitals can continue to be vital resources for their communities.”

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. Learn more at www.cha.com.

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