DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis says he wants to cut health care costs.He and a large group of lawmakers introduced nine new bills on Thursdaysays their goal is to lower health care costs for all Colorados.
Most of the nine bills are aimed at reducing healthcare costs for Colorado residents. Others seek to expand healthcare options and hold the healthcare industry accountable.
“Colorado ranks among the top 10 in hospital prices and hospital profits, which means people in our state pay more for hospital care than people in other states across the country. means,” Police said at a press conference announcing the bill.
Consider public options, drug prices, hospital rules
Polis and many lawmakers said they wanted to change that when they unveiled nine bills, starting with bills to improve existing initiatives like the Colorado Public Health Option. It is designed to allow insurance companies to offer Coloradans lower premiums.
“The bill we propose today would not allow certain costs, such as excess profits or administrative costs, to be passed on to consumers. We will improve the review process,” said state legislator Iman Jodeh.
Another bill aims to prevent employers from being overcharged for prescription drugs.
“We introduced House Bill 1201 to prohibit drug companies and health insurance companies from charging their employers in Colorado more than they would reimburse pharmacies for their drugs, protecting employers from price hikes. said sponsor and State Representative Lindsey Daugherty.
Another measure would require large hospitals with non-profit status to invest funds in the community for community-chosen projects.
“We ask that you at least have a minimum amount determined by the community process. said sponsor and state legislator Judy Amabil.
Drug Affordability Commission Can Get More Affordable
It wasn’t long ago that states implemented drug affordability commissions. They now want to change the number of reviews the board takes up, even though the Department of Insurance says it hasn’t done so yet.
“We want to save people money on prescription drugs by removing the restriction that the board can only do 12 affordable reviews per year over a three-year period. There are drugs, it doesn’t make sense to limit them to 12,” said Sonya Jacques-Lewis, who sponsored the bill and is a state senator.
Other initiatives include increasing the number of mental health providers in schools and increasing the transparency of hospital income reporting.
