An Interview with Catherine Strode
Donna Lynne was sworn in as Colorado’s 49th Lieutenant Governor and Chief Operating Officer on May 12, 2016. Widely respected as an expert in the health field, she was named one of the top 25 women in health care nationally. As former Executive Vice President of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii, she managed an $8 billion budget, 16,000 employees, and over one million Kaiser Plan members. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Lt. Governor Lynne discussed some of the challenges facing the state and how she will use her expertise to tackle them.
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The Denver Chamber’s CEO Discusses November Ballot Issues
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Brough, is weighing in on the economic impact of Colorado’s upcoming November ballot issues. She says the Chamber will campaign to defeat Amendment 69, which would make Colorado the only state in the nation to adopt a single payer health care system. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Kelly Brough discusses two other issues the Chamber would like to see on the ballot: creating a Hospital Enterprise Fund and bringing back a Presidential Primary.
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Emergency 72-Hour Mental Health Bill Debated Today
An Interview with Catherine Strode
A bill that would change emergency procedures for individuals in mental health crises (Senate Bill 16-169) is up on Second Reading in the House today. The bill has drawn support, and opposition, from a wide variety of stakeholder groups. It has passed the Senate and has undergone over 40 amendments during the legislative process. The bill has been hard fought by one of its sponsors, State Representative Lois Landgraf. In an interview with Catherine Strode, she says working the bill has been a ‘painful’ experience but one she will definitely repeat next session if it does not pass in the current one.
Senator Redefines Medicaid ‘Access’ to Care
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.
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