Date: 04/22/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB09-1111

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt prepared amendment L.009 (Attachment E). Th
Refer House Bill 09-1111, as amended, to the Commi		PASS
PASS



10:43 AM -- House Bill 09-1111

Senator Boyd and Senator Schwartz introduced House Bill 09-1111. The bill creates the Primary Care Office within the Department of Public Health and Environment to assess and address unmet health care needs across the state. The duties of the office include: assessing local communities for health care shortages and applying for federal shortage designations; administering and providing technical assistance to individuals who qualify for federal visa waiver programs; and administering the State Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program. Senator Schwartz commented that the bill may assist in recruiting Spanish-speaking doctors to serve in rural areas of the state, and responded to questions from Senator Lundberg regarding the intent of the bill. Amendment L.009 (Attachment F) and a letter of support for the bill (Attachment G) were distributed to the committee.

09SenateHHS0422AttachF.pdf 09SenateHHS0422AttachG.pdf

10:51 AM -- Dr. Ned Calonge, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Public Health and Environment, testified in support of the bill. He testified that there is a current shortage of about 200 primary care physicians in the state, and stated that the department has assisted in the placement of physicians in rural areas. He discussed the need for primary care physicians in certain areas of the state, and stated that the bill represents a partial solution to the program. He described the waiver program to allow foreign physicians to practice in areas where there is a shortage of physicians. He discussed the reasons why the department is seeking to administer the State Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, which is currently administered by Colorado Invest. He described the funding sources for the bill, and the economic impact of the bill on rural areas in the state. Dr. Calonge responded to questions from Senator Mitchell regarding the economic impact of the bill and from Senator Schultheis regarding the funding sources for the bill, specifically the AIDS and HIV Prevention Fund. Dr. Calonge further emphasized that the bill will draw down federal moneys to support increased access to health care. Dr. Calonge responded to questions from Senator Morse regarding the primary care physician shortage.

11:15 AM -- Ross Brooks, Colorado Community Health Network, testified in support of the bill. He stated that loan repayment programs are an attractive tool to encourage physicians to practice in rural areas. He responded to previous comments from Senator Mitchell regarding county contributions to physician loan repayment programs. He further responded to questions from Senator Lundberg regarding the bill's interaction with the Commission on Family Medicine.


11:19 AM

Senator Boyd gave concluding remarks regarding the bill.
BILL:HB09-1111
TIME: 11:19:50 AM
MOVED:Boyd
MOTION:Adopt prepared amendment L.009 (Attachment E). The motion passed on a 6-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Carroll M.
Yes
Lundberg
No
Mitchell
Yes
Morse
Yes
Newell
Yes
Schultheis
No
Tochtrop
Yes
Boyd
Yes
Not Final YES: 6 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:HB09-1111
TIME: 11:20:31 AM
MOVED:Boyd
MOTION:Refer House Bill 09-1111, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 5-3 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Carroll M.
Yes
Lundberg
No
Mitchell
No
Morse
Yes
Newell
Yes
Schultheis
No
Tochtrop
Yes
Boyd
Yes
Final YES: 5 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS