House Committee on Health and Human Services (02/22/2006)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Date:	02/22/2006	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:55 AM to 11:28 AM	Berens	X
		Cloer	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Green	*
		Kerr	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	X
		Sullivan	X
		Weissmann	X
		Frangas	X
		Boyd	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB06-1269 HB06-1243 HB06-1278 HB06-1328		Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to Finance Referred to the Committee of the Whole

09:55 AM -- House Bill 06-1269

Representative Cloer, sponsor, presented the bill creating a nursing faculty fellowship program. He described the proposed program and stated it will allow nursing schools to receive grant moneys to support faculty positions. He distributed and discussed L.001 and an accompanying fiscal memo (Attachment A). He answered questions about the availability of hospital internships for nursing students.

The following persons testified.

10:02 AM -- Paula Stearns, Colorado Nurses Association, discussed Colorado's nursing shortage. She stated the shortage is currently 11 percent and the average age of nursing faculty is over age 50. Nursing school enrollment increases in recent years have been over 20 percent. As a result, nursing faculty is overextended. She answered questions about waiting lists for school admittance.

10:06 AM -- Carol Schoffstall, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, spoke in support of the bill. She stated the bill will improve patient safety and the nursing shortage. She stated her program currently has a two-year waiting list for student admittance. She described the nursing shortage as a national problem.

10:10 AM -- Mary Ann Wermers, Pikes Peak College, Colorado Springs, spoke in support of the bill. She described the turnover rates and aging of her faculty. She stated her school has a two- to three-year waiting list. Ms. Schoffstall answered questions about differential tuition rates and "brain drain" (the loss of faculty to more lucrative positions outside education). She and Ms. Wermers also discussed nursing rotations for rural area students.

10:19 AM -- Bret Lyman, University of Northern Colorado, discussed problems associated with faculty shortages, including the turning away of nursing program applicants. He described salary differences among nursing faculty and nurses in non-faculty positions.

10:21 AM

Representative Cloer made concluding remarks. He stated Coloradans' need for health care is growing. House Bill 1269 will help increase faculty salaries and draw more candidates to Colorado. Representative Cloer described L.001. Amendment L.002 was distributed to members (Attachment B).


BILL:	HB06-1269
TIME:	10:24:58 AM
MOVED:	Cloer
MOTION:	Adopt L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Stafford
		VOTE
	Berens
	Cloer
	Green
	Kerr
	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:	HB06-1269
TIME:	10:25:21 AM
MOVED:	Weissmann
MOTION:	Adopt L.002 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Boyd
		VOTE
	Berens
	Cloer
	Green
	Kerr
	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:	HB06-1269
TIME:	10:26:47 AM
MOVED:	Cloer
MOTION:	Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed 13-0.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Cloer	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Kerr	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

10:28 AM -- House Bill 06-1243

Representative Sullivan, sponsor, presented the bill requiring chiropractors to carry liability insurance and allowing the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners to impose fines in lieu of suspending a license. He distributed amendment L.001 to committee members (Attachment C).

The following persons testified.

10:30 AM -- Dr. Reiner Kremer, citizen, spoke in support of the bill. He answered questions about anecdotes supporting the bill, costs of malpractice insurance, the board's proposed ability to fine.

10:36 AM -- Don Mielke, Colorado Chiropractic Association, spoke in support of the bill. He stated the Association's support is due to improved public safety under the bill. He answered questions about current law regarding malpractice insurance.

10:42 AM

Representative Sullivan discussed L.001.


BILL:	HB06-1243
TIME:	10:43:28 AM
MOVED:	Sullivan
MOTION:	Adopt L.001 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens
	Cloer
	Green
	Kerr
	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:	HB06-1243
TIME:	10:44:15 AM
MOVED:	Sullivan
MOTION:	Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The bill passed 12-1.
SECONDED:	Green
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Cloer	No
	Green	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Lundberg	Yes
	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

10:46 AM -- House Bill 06-1278

Representative Weissmann, sponsor, presented the bill requiring hospitals to report certain data. He distributed amendment L.001 (Attachment D).

The following persons testified.

10:47 AM -- Scott Wasserman, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), stated concerns with the bill. He described consolidation of hospital systems in Denver. He stated that despite promises of lower costs through consolidation, these systems have profit margins that are higher than the national average. He stated his support for greater transparency into the hospital industry. He answered questions about his position on the bill.

10:52 AM -- Carrie Curtiss, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, spoke in support of the bill. She described the importance of transparency to consumers. She stated CCHI advocates greater transparency for such things as hospital collection practices and charity care. Representative Weissmann answered questions about requiring hospitals to report specific data.

10:58 AM -- Jeff Selberg, Exempla Health Care and Colorado Health and Hospital Association (CHA), stated his support for the bill is due to a number of reasons, including the information collected will be standardized and relevant to decision makers. He stated the bill will build upon work and data collection already done by the CHA hospitals. He answered questions about the commission established in the bill and how the bill's data requirements differ from data already collected and published by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He stated federal HHS data is restricted to "federally sponsored patients."

11:06 AM -- Beryl Vallejo, Centura Health, spoke in support of the bill. She stated Colorado was the first state to publish hospital mortality data. She stated use of evidence-based medicine has improved patient outcomes.

11:09 AM -- Errol Snider, Family Health West, spoke in support of the bill. He stated he has seen the benefits of data collection and use. The bill helps consumers to know how well hospitals take care of their patients.

11:12 AM

Representative Weissmann discussed L.001.


BILL:	HB06-1278
TIME:	11:14:32 AM
MOVED:	Weissmann
MOTION:	Adopt L.001 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Boyd
		VOTE
	Berens
	Cloer
	Green
	Kerr
	Lundberg
	McGihon
	Riesberg
	Soper
	Stafford
	Sullivan
	Weissmann
	Frangas
	Boyd
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

11:15 AM

Committee members commented on the bill. Representative Weissmann answered questions about the bill's fiscal note.


BILL:	HB06-1278
TIME:	11:20:03 AM
MOVED:	Weissmann
MOTION:	Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee on Finance. The bill passed 12-1.
SECONDED:	Frangas
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Cloer	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Kerr	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

11:21 AM -- House Bill 06-1328

Representative Boyd, sponsor, presented the bill creating a new date for the House and Senate Committees on Health and Human Services and the Joint Budget Committee to review the Tobacco Settlement Programs.


BILL:	HB06-1328
TIME:	11:26:31 AM
MOVED:	Boyd
MOTION:	Refer the bill to the Committee of the Whole. The bill passed 11-0-2.
SECONDED:	Green
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Cloer	Excused
	Green	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Lundberg	Yes
	McGihon	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes
	Soper	Yes
	Stafford	Yes
	Sullivan	Excused
	Weissmann	Yes
	Frangas	Yes
	Boyd	Yes
Final YES: 11 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

11:27 AM

The committee adjourned.