An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Senator Jack Tate is sponsoring a bill he believes offers Medicaid patients greater access to health care services and providers. Senate Bill 162 would allow a Medicaid recipient to receive and pay for medical services from a medical provider that is not enrolled in Medicaid. It has passed out of the Senate. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Senator Tate answers opponents’ claims that the bill will bring financial hardship to Medicaid recipients and a decline in Medicaid providers. Instead, he says it will bring patients true ‘access’ and choice in care.
‘Employment First’ for Persons With Disabilities
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Senator John Kefalas is sponsoring a bill to address the high unemployment rate of persons with disabilities, including those with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The bill (SB16-077) proposes a partnership model called ‘Employment First,’ designed to target the unique barriers and challenges people with disabilities face in finding meaningful employment. The ‘Employment First’ structure is modelled after similar initiatives adopted in many other states. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Senator Kefalas says the ‘Employment First’ framework supports an agenda of moving away from sheltered workshops and ‘segregated employment,’ and partnering more with employers in the private sector.
Republican Senator Defends Support of Hospital Fee Bill Revamp
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Republican Senator Larry Crowder is a fifth generation Coloradan and represents a geographically large rural area of the state. Fifteen of the 16 counties in his district are considered poverty stricken. He was the sole Republican in the State Senate to support Medicaid expansion. Now he is the sole supporter in the Senate of a House Bill that would bring an end to the present hospital provider fee funding system and replace it with a system of funding that would be exempt from the TABOR limits. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Senator Crowder says his support of the bill is uncomplicated. He supports it he says because, put simply, it meets the health care needs of his constituents.
Bill Brings A Voice to Unrepresented Patients
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Representative Dave Young (HD-50) has been engaged with many stakeholder groups within the state’s health care community in his effort to successfully sponsor House Bill 1101. The bill is designed to help unrepresented patients receive more effective medical treatment when they are incapacitated and have no decision-making capabilities. Backers of the bill say it will provide more comprehensive medical treatment for those patients who do not have ‘a voice’ to represent them in their treatment. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Representative Young says he is glad the bill is bringing attention to this issue that affects thousands of Coloradans.[Read more…] about Bill Brings A Voice to Unrepresented Patients
Prescription Mail Orders And Patient Equity
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Senator Beth Martinez Huminek uses two words to describe the health care bill she is sponsoring: ‘patient equity’. Senate Bill 16-027, which allows Medicaid clients to obtain prescribed drugs through the mail, has passed out of the Senate overwhelmingly with bipartisan support. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Senator Martinez cites the bill’s many benefits to both patient clients and to the state.
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State Budget Director Says Enterprise Effort Is Stalled
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Henry Sobanet has served as Director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting under two Colorado Governors. He was first appointed to the office in 2004 by Governor Bill Owens. In 2011, he returned to this position to serve under Governor Hickenlooper. In this interview with Policy Outreach Specialist Catherine Strode, Sobanet discusses his work under the two administrations and the Enterprise Fund proposal for the hospital provider fee.
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Health Care Philanthropy Leader Assesses ACA Impact
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Dr. Ned Calonge, President and CEO of The Colorado Trust, has been a dominant figure across Colorado’s health care landscape for more than two decades. Among the prestigious roles he’s held include the positions of Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and President of the Colorado Medical Board.
[Read more…] about Health Care Philanthropy Leader Assesses ACA Impact
Bill Calls For Transparency of Community Centered Boards
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Senator Irene Aguilar (D-32) has introduced a bill to ensure that the state’s 20 Community Centered Boards are subject to regular financial and performance reviews. CCBs, private non-profits designated as entry points into support systems for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, receive funding from state, federal, and local governments. Senator Aguilar is putting forth Senate Bill 16-038 to make CCBs subject to the Colorado Open Records Act. In this interview with Policy Outreach Specialist Catherine Strode, she says the bill was conceived out of controversy. [Read more…] about Bill Calls For Transparency of Community Centered Boards
Komen Colorado Study Identifies Barriers to Breast Health Care
An Interview with Catherine Strode
One out of every seven women in Colorado will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. That compares with a national statistic of one out of every eight women. Although more women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Colorado, fewer are diagnosed with advanced stage disease and fewer women die from the disease compared to national statistics. In a Needs Assessment study conducted over a diverse 22 county service area, Komen Colorado has identified the top barriers to care for women in the state.
[Read more…] about Komen Colorado Study Identifies Barriers to Breast Health Care
New CEO of Health Foundation Kicks Off Statewide Tour
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The Colorado Health Foundation’s new President and CEO, Karen McNeil-Miller, is leading an 11-region listening tour around the state to learn more about Coloradans’ health challenges. McNeil-Miller, who has been on the job for only a month, is conducting the tour through the spring of 2016.
In this interview with Catherine Strode, she says the tour will inform the Foundation how its annual 100 million dollar investment in Colorado can impact health care barriers unique to each one of the state’s communities.
[Read more…] about New CEO of Health Foundation Kicks Off Statewide Tour