House Committee on Health and Human Services (02/01/2006)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Date:	02/01/2006	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:47 AM to 11:39 AM	Berens	X
		Clapp	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Cloer	X
		Green	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Lundberg	X
	Representative Boyd	McGihon	X
		Riesberg	X
This Report was prepared by		Soper	X
	Whitney Gustin	Stafford	*
		Sullivan	X
		Weissmann	X
		Frangas	X
		Boyd	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB06-1054 HB06-1180 HB06-1167		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to Appropriations

09:47 AM -- House Bill 06-1054

Representative Plant, sponsor, presented the bill creating an HIV/AIDS prevention grant program to fund community programs. He distributed and discussed amendment L.002 to committee members (Attachment A). The amendment removes a reporting requirement and makes changes to the committee membership to avoid conflicts of interest. He answered questions about processes for granting money.

The following persons testified.

09:53 AM -- Linda Boedeker, Southern Colorado AIDS Project, stated that currently most of her organization's money goes toward treatment. HIV/AIDS prevention is more cost-effective. She answered questions about populations that are contracting HIV/AIDS, educational opportunities for pregnant women and incarcerated persons.

10:00 AM -- Omar Matthys, citizen, discussed his support of the bill.

10:01 AM

Representative Plant made concluding remarks and discussed L.003 (Attachment B).


BILL:	HB06-1054
TIME:	10:02:22 AM
MOVED:	Frangas
MOTION:	Adopt L.003 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens
	Clapp
	Cloer
	Green
	Lundberg
	McGihon
	Riesberg
	Soper
	Stafford
	Sullivan
	Weissmann
	Frangas
	Boyd
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB06-1054
TIME:	10:02:34 AM
MOVED:	Frangas
MOTION:	Adopt L.002 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens
	Clapp
	Cloer
	Green
	Lundberg
	McGihon
	Riesberg
	Soper
	Stafford
	Sullivan
	Weissmann
	Frangas
	Boyd
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

10:07 AM

Committee members discussed the bill. Representative Plant answered a question about possibly adding a sunset provision to the bill.


BILL:	HB06-1054
TIME:	10:08:16 AM
MOVED:	Frangas
MOTION:	Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The bill passed 12-1.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Clapp	Yes
	Cloer	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Lundberg	No
	McGihon	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes
	Soper	Yes
	Stafford	Yes
	Sullivan	Yes
	Weissmann	Yes
	Frangas	Yes
	Boyd	Yes
Final YES: 12 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:12 AM -- House Bill 06-1180

Representative Soper, sponsor, presented the bill sunsetting the Dental Advisory Committee. He stated the committee was never formed largely due to the creation of the Children's Basic Health Plan and its dental health coverage.


BILL:	HB06-1180
TIME:	10:14:28 AM
MOVED:	Soper
MOTION:	Refer the bill to the Committee of the Whole. The bill passed 13-0.
SECONDED:	Berens
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Clapp	Yes
	Cloer	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Lundberg	Yes
	McGihon	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes
	Soper	Yes
	Stafford	Yes
	Sullivan	Yes
	Weissmann	Yes
	Frangas	Yes
	Boyd	Yes
Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:16 AM -- House Bill 06-1167

Representative Cloer, sponsor, presented the bill increasing funding for the CoverColorado Program, the state's insurance program for otherwise uninsurable persons. He answered questions about funding for the program, populations served by the program, and the bill's affect on enrollees' premiums. Representative Lundberg discussed his support for CoverColorado. He stated he disagreed with past budget cuts to the program. Representative Cloer answered questions about his choice of funding methods for the bill. Amendments L.001 and L.002 were distributed to members (Attachment C and D).

The following persons testified.

10:38 AM -- Barbara Brett, Executive Director, CoverColorado, provided an overview of the program. CoverColorado was created in 1990. Enrollees are persons who, because of a pre-existing condition, have been denied coverage by private insurance companies. She discussed premiums and deductibles paid by enrollees. Enrollees' preexisting conditions vary widely. They include acne, allergies, organ failure, and AIDS. Ms. Brett described a recent actuarial report regarding how many more people (up to 1500) the program might cover with an additional $10 million. She distributed and discussed a document describing characteristics of enrollees and program funding sources (Attachment E). She stated CoverColorado enrollees will never qualify for Medicaid regardless of their income or assets. She answered questions about how the program verifies applicants' citizenship.

The following persons testified.

10:49 AM -- Nancy Matthys, citizen, described her family's experience seeking health insurance coverage. She answered questions about her insurance coverage.

10:56 AM -- Omar Matthys, citizen, described his experience as a CoverColorado enrollee. He discussed other government health care coverage programs and CoverColorado premiums. He answered questions about insurance coverage options.

11:03 AM -- RJ Ours, American Cancer Society, spoke in support of the bill. He discussed the importance of insurance coverage for persons with serious illnesses. He and Representative Cloer answered questions about chronic conditions which may qualify a person for CoverColorado.

11:13 AM -- Michael Huotari, Colorado Association of Health Plans, distributed a document to members (Attachment F).

11:16 AM -- Betsy Murray, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, spoke in support of the bill. She stated persons with mental illness are often denied individual coverage.

11:18 AM -- Patty Baldwin, citizen, distributed a comparison sheet of individual insurance premiums for non-smoking women (Attachment G). The plans include a $1,000 deductible.

11:22 AM -- Janey Alpert, Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, spoke in support of the bill and distributed a document to members (Attachment H). She shared personal stories of person who have needed CoverColorado.

11:26 AM

Representative Cloer discussed L.001 and described it as a technical amendment.


BILL:	HB06-1167
TIME:	11:27:28 AM
MOVED:	Cloer
MOTION:	Adopt L.001 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens
	Clapp
	Cloer
	Green
	Lundberg
	McGihon
	Riesberg
	Soper
	Stafford
	Sullivan
	Weissmann
	Frangas
	Boyd
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

11:28 AM

Representative Cloer discussed L.002 and stated he has decided not to offer it at this time. He made concluding remarks and answered questions about the Unclaimed Property Fund. Members commented on the bill and explained their votes.


BILL:	HB06-1167
TIME:	11:36:02 AM
MOVED:	Cloer
MOTION:	Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The bill passed 10-3.
SECONDED:	Stafford
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Clapp	Yes
	Cloer	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Lundberg	Yes
	McGihon	No
	Riesberg	No
	Soper	Yes
	Stafford	Yes
	Sullivan	Yes
	Weissmann	No
	Frangas	Yes
	Boyd	Yes
Final YES: 10 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

11:38 AM

The committee adjourned.