Health Care Policy 

Our commitment to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation includes efforts to improve Health Care by influencing health policy.

Our Health Care policy work is directed at:

• Improving the quality of and access to care
• Increasing reimbursement for the provision of integrated care
• Eliminating regulations that inhibit the coordination of care

Initiatives
Working with our partners, we supported several key pieces of legislation to improve health care for all Coloradans.

All-Payer Claims Databases
Colorado is among several states that are looking at creating All-payer Claims Databases.

An all-payer claims database assembles and stores medical, pharmacy and dental claims, as from health plans, third-party administrators (such as companies that process health claims for employers), Medicaid and Medicare. The database provides a complete picture of a person’s experience with the health care system.

In Colorado, HB 10-1330 would create an advisory committee to recommend how to structure and implement an all-payer claims database. Then, if sufficient state and federal funds are raised, the all-payer claims database will become operational in Colorado.

All-payer claims databases, which have been created or are under study in more than a half-dozen states, are attractive because they provide a wealth of health data that can be used by consumers, businesses, policymakers and others who want to improve the safety, quality, cost and efficiency of health care.

• Consumers and business can use this data to assist them in making informed decisions when purchasing health coverage.
• Hospitals might use data to improve patient care.
• Policymakers might use data to identify areas of cost-effective care to share those successes.

By creating a comprehensive data collection program of all claims paid by all health care payers, Colorado have a valuable tool for understanding the health care delivery system.

Colorado Regional Integrated Care Collaborative
The Colorado Regional Integrated Care Collaborative is a partnership between the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), the national Center for Health Care Strategies, local health plans and providers, consumer organizations and other stakeholders.

The goal of the collaborative is to coordinate the currently fragmented physical health, mental health and substance abuse services provided to Medicaid’s highest-need, highest-cost clients. The program is administered by Colorado Access, a nonprofit health plan that provides access to behavioral and physical health services for medically underserved Coloradans.

We have granted HCPF $877,202 to help the collaborative develop, implement and evaluate innovative models for managing the care of high-cost adult Medicaid beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions.

Colorado Medicaid Reform Task Force
This grant of $122,300 allowed key stakeholders to come together to discuss how the Medicaid program could be improved and ensure that the limited resources are being used in an efficient manner to allow coverage of more needy Coloradans, especially children. The one-day retreat was the first time in the history of HCPF that four key stakeholders (i.e., physicians, hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers and health plans) were brought together to work on a shared vision to move toward a high-performance system.

Joan Henneberry, executive director of HCPF, continues to use these key provider groups to address issues and make recommendations to improve Medicaid.

Learn more about our policy work.