The Session Recapped: Legislation in Review Report Now Online
My job at the Colorado Health Institute is to manage our legislative services program. So the end of the legislative session tends to feel a bit like finishing final exams after a busy school year.
Our team has been at the Capitol all session long, listening in on committee hearings, reviewing the bills, meeting with legislators and studying the issues. Today, I am pleased to announce the release of 2013 Legislation in Review: An Analysis of the Key Health Policy Trends. Our report boils the 120-day session into an easy-to-read report that captures the key health policy trends and bills of 2013. Click here to download the report from our website.
We’ve identified four major health policy themes that characterized the bulk of the health care legislation passed in 2013:
- Implementation of Federal Health Care Reform: A number of major bills paved the way for the full implementation of Obamacare beginning in 2014.
- Increased Investment in Health Care: More money in the state budget allowed for significant investments in Colorado’s health care system, particularly for behavioral health and oral health.
- New Reporting Requirements and Regulations: Several bills aimed to reduce fraud, waste and abuse within the health care system, while others sought to improve transparency or consumer protections.
- System Efficiency: A number of bills promoted policy changes that will streamline Colorado’s health care system, setting the stage for future improvements and efficiencies.
The 2013 Legislation in Review report provides details on the major bills within each of these categories, an overview of what this year’s budget means for health care, profiles of the key health care leaders at the Capitol and a sneak preview of the policy issues on the horizon for next year.
I’ll conduct a webinar recapping the legislative session on June 19. You can sign up by clicking here.
Please take a moment to review this valuable report, and be sure to let us know what you think.