Second Regular Session Sixty-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. 06-0891.01 Kristen Forrestal SENATE BILL 06-208 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Hanna, HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Larson, Senate Committees House Committees Health and Human Services A BILL FOR AN ACT Concerning the creation of the health care reform committee for the purpose of studying health care reform issues. Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not necessarily reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted.) Creates the health care reform committee (committee) for the purpose of studying comprehensive state health care reform and universal health care coverage. Authorizes the appointment of 4 legislative members, 11 nonlegislative members, and 2 ex officio members to the committee. Requires legislative council staff to be available to assist the committee. Directs the general assembly to treat, as it deems necessary, the legislative recommendations made by the committee as legislation made by an interim committee. Repeals the committee, effective July 1, 2010. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds and declares that: (a) Health care is the largest single industry in the United States, comprising multiple public and private interests, and these interests often have conflicting goals and values; (b) Americans currently spend exorbitant amounts on health care, and our complex health care system diverts too many dollars away from the direct provision of services and into administrative and transactional costs; (c) The stakeholders in the health care system engage in intensive discussions about their interests but have not assembled formally to consider much-needed, comprehensive reform of the health care system; (d) Solutions to problems with the health care system will require a balancing of many private and public interests, such as consumer choice, market diversity and competition, assured access to health care, cost containment, assured safety, and quality of health care; (e) The existing models for comprehensive health care reform tend to be artificially polarized between the ideological extremes of wholly unregulated markets, on the one hand, and intrusive government control, on the other; (f) Previous discussions of health care reform have been dominated by policy experts and special interests, who have thus far insufficiently involved the citizens who pay for and are dependent on the health care system itself; (g) Health policy dialogues too often do not include enough political leaders and do not adequately consider the political process essential to bringing about the systemic reforms needed to lower and contain costs; and (h) State government action is needed to initiate health care reform that results in accessible and affordable health care for all. (2) It is therefore the intent of the general assembly to establish a committee for comprehensive state health care reform, which shall provide to the general assembly recommendations regarding improving the health care system. SECTION 2. Part 1 of article 16 of title 10, Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION to read: 10-16-131. Health care reform committee - repeal. (1) (a) There is hereby established the health care reform committee, referred to in this section as the "committee", for the purpose of studying comprehensive state health care reform. (b) The members of the committee shall be appointed as follows: (I) Two members of the Colorado state senate, one appointed by the president of the senate and one appointed by the minority leader of the senate; (II) Two members of the Colorado state house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; (III) The executive director of the department of health care policy and financing or his or her designee, to serve as an ex officio member; (IV) The executive director of the department of public health and environment or his or her designee, to serve as an ex officio member; (V) A representative of the hospital industry to be appointed by the Colorado hospital association; (VI) Two physicians appointed by the Colorado medical society; (VII) Two nurses appointed by the Colorado nurses association; (VIII) One pharmacist appointed by the Colorado pharmacy association; (IX) A representative of the insurance industry to be appointed by the commissioner; (X) Two businesspeople, one appointed by a rural chamber of commerce and one appointed by a metro chamber of commerce; and (XI) Two citizen members appointed by the governor. (c) The chairperson of the committee shall be chosen by a majority vote of the members of the committee. (2) (a) The members of the committee shall meet during a period of twenty-four months, beginning no later than January 1, 2007, to present and discuss various topics concerning comprehensive health care reform that clearly address the topics of universal health care access, universal health care coverage, effective cost containment, consumer and professional choices, quality control, and market diversity. (b) The committee shall consider health care reform plans to be presented to the committee by professional groups and citizens. To minimize duplication of effort and resources, the committee shall coordinate its work with all other health-care-related interim committees, task forces, or other legislatively created entities in operation during the committee's term. After consideration of reform plans, the committee shall determine legislative recommendations to be made to the general assembly. (c) The committee shall make such recommendations as it deems necessary to the general assembly concerning matters studied under this section. Legislation recommended by the committee shall be treated as legislation recommended by an interim legislative committee for purposes of any introduction deadlines or bill limitations imposed by the joint rules of the general assembly. (3) (a) The members of the committee shall receive compensation for reasonable and actual expenses related to carrying out their duties for the committee. All expenditures incurred in the conduct of the activities of the committee under this section shall be subject to approval by the legislative council and paid by vouchers and warrants drawn as provided by law from funds allocated to the legislative council for legislative studies from appropriations made by the general assembly. (b) The staff of the legislative council shall be made available to assist the committee in carrying out its duties under this section. (4) This section is repealed, effective July 1, 2010. SECTION 3. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.