S_HHS_2016A 04/14/2016 01:32:54 PM Committee Summary

01:33 PM -- Confirmation of University Of Colorado Hospital Authority - Board Of Directors



Dori Biester, April Jones, and Steve Meyer, appointees, came the table. Allen Staver, Secretary of the University of Colorado Hospital Authority Board of Directors, came to the table and explained the current structure and authority of the board. He explained that the University of Colorado Regents do not have authority over the hospital authority board's actions, and decisions about medical research conducted by university faculty are not under the board's purview. The committee discussed the board's budget.



The Board of Regents appointment letters may be found in Attachment A.



160414 AttachA.pdf



01:45 PM



Dr. Biester spoke about her experience and why she wants to be on the board. Ms. Jones spoke about her experience. Mr. Meyer spoke about his experience. The appointees and the committee members engaged in discussion.





01:53 PM



Mr. Staver responded to committee questions. Discussion about the use of fetal tissue in medical research ensued.

02:00 PM -- HB 16-1336



Senator Donovan, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1336. The reengrossed bill requires the Commissioner of Insurance in the Department of Regulatory Agencies to conduct a study to determine the impacts and viability of establishing a single geographic area for use in determining the premium rates for individual health insurance plans issued in Colorado. In conducting the study, the Commissioner of Insurance must consider factors that affect differentiation in the premium rates throughout different geographic areas of the state, including differentiation in health care costs throughout the state for prescription drugs, provider rates, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, and other hospital procedures and services.



The study must be completed no later than August 1, 2016. The commissioner must report and present the findings and recommendations of the study to the Joint Budget Committee. The commissioner must also send the report to the House Health, Insurance, and Environment Committee, the House Public Health Care and Human Services Committee, and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.



02:04 PM -- Steve Reynolds, Club 20, spoke in support of the bill.



02:07 PM -- Dan Gibbs, Summit County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill and distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment B).



160414 AttachB.pdf













02:11 PM -- Jill Ryan, Eagle County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill and provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments C and D).



160414 AttachC.pdf160414 AttachD.pdf



02:14 PM -- Rachel Richards, Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill and provided two handouts to the committee (Attachments E and F).



160414 AttachE.pdf160414 AttachF.pdf



02:18 PM -- Mike Bordogna, Lake County Board of County Commissioners, testified in support of the bill.



02:20 PM -- Philip Chamberland, Gunnison County Board of County Commissioner, testified in support of the bill.



02:23 PM -- Tom Jankovsky, Garfield County Board of County Commissioner, testified in support of the bill.



02:26 PM



Committee questions and discussion followed. The committee discussed the Colorado Commission on Affordable Health Care rural health care study.



02:30 PM -- Randy MacGregor, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:34 PM -- Richard Backe, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:39 PM -- Gini Pingenot, Colorado Counties, Inc., spoke in support of bill.



02:41 PM -- Kevin Bommer, Colorado Municipal League, spoke in support of the bill and responded to questions from the committee.



02:45 PM



Senator Donovan commented on the committee's concerns about whether to include national data in the study established by the bill. Committee discussion followed. Mr. Bommer responded to committee concerns.



02:51 PM -- Eileen Waldow, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.



02:53 PM -- Francie de Vos, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:55 PM -- DiAnn Butler, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:56 PM -- Alice Pugh, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill.



02:59 PM -- David Rossi, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill.







03:03 PM -- Erin Miller, Colorado Children's Campaign, spoke in support of the bill.



03:05 PM -- Debra Judy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, spoke in support of the bill.



03:07 PM -- Charlie Sheffield, Colorado Association of Health Plans, testified on the bill in a neutral position and responded to questions from the committee.



03:10 PM -- Virginia Morrison Love, American's Health Insurance Plans, testified on the bill in a neutral position and responded to questions.



03:18 PM



Committee questions ensued.



03:23 PM



Marguerite Salazar, Colorado Commissioner of Insurance, Peg Brown, Colorado Division of Insurance, and Tom Abel, Colorado Division of Insurance, responded to questions from the committee.



03:37 PM



A map of the current geographic areas was distributed to the committee members (Attachment G).



160414 AttachG.pdf



03:39 PM



Senator Donovan made closing comments.

160414 AttachH.pdf

03:59 PM -- HB 16-1101



Senator Lundberg, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 16-1101. The reengrossed bill allows an attending physician to designate another willing physician to act as a patient's proxy decision-maker for health care treatment under certain conditions. The attending physician cannot act as the proxy decision-maker. A physician may be designated as a proxy decision-maker if:

• after reasonable effort, the physician cannot locate any interested person, including the patient's spouse, a parent, an adult child, a sibling, a grandchild, or any close friend of the patient, who is willing and able to act as proxy decision-maker;
• the physician has obtained an independent assessment of the patient's decision-making capacity from another health care provider confirming the patient's lack of decisional capacity; and
• the physician has consulted with and obtained a consensus on the proxy designation with the medical ethics committee of the facility where the patient is receiving care.

The designated physician's authority to act as proxy decision-maker terminates if:

• an interested person is appointed to act as the proxy decision-maker;
• a guardian is appointed for the patient;
• the patient regains decisional capacity;
• the proxy decision-maker no longer wishes to serve in that capacity; or
• the patient is transferred or discharged from the facility where he or she is receiving care, unless the proxy decision-maker expresses his or her intention to continue acting in that capacity.

The bill outlines procedures for decision-making by the attending physician, the proxy decision-maker, and the facility's medical ethics committee, including for end-of-life treatment. A physician or his or her designee who is acting in good faith as a proxy decision-maker is not subject to civil or criminal liability or regulatory sanction, except that liability remains for any negligent acts or omissions in rendering care to an unrepresented patient.



04:01 PM -- Deb Bennett Woods, Colorado Collaborative for Unrepresented Patients, testified in support of the bill.













04:07 PM -- Carl Gladstein, Colorado Collaborative for Unrepresented Patients, testified in support of the bill and responded to committee questions.



04:16 PM -- Jean Abbott, Colorado Collaborative for Unrepresented Patients, testified in support of the bill.



04:20 PM -- Barbara Redmond, Denver Health, testified in a neutral position on the bill.



04:29 PM -- Linda Skaflen, The Arc of Adams County, testified in support of the bill.



04:32 PM -- Jean Martin, COPIC, maintained a neutral position on the bill.



04:38 PM



Senator Lundberg made closing comments and discussed amendment L.023 (Attachment I).



160414 AttachI.pdf

04:42 PM



Senator Crowder adjourned the meeting.