CEO Blog: Looking for Clarity

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

Confused by the healthcare debate in Washington? You are not alone. With all the activity in the last week, it’s far from clear right now in what direction we’re headed. Even as the debate shifts by the hour, a couple of points are known.

As the New York Times reported on Thursday, Senate Republicans plan a procedural vote next week on whether to open debate on a bill.

However, it’s not known whether there is enough support even to pass that preliminary question or which of the four different pieces of legislation would be on the table if it does pass. Vox.com provides summaries of the bills.

Even with the current divisions on the path forward, some still talk about finding a bipartisan approach to solving issues under the current law. The Commonwealth Fund offers this vision of how it could work.

In Recent News

Health insurance companies’ filings for 2018 individual and small group plans became public a week ago, prompting discussion of increases which average 27% in the initial filings for individual plans (7% for small group) in Colorado. This explanation of the drivers of rate increases by the American Academy of Actuaries provides a helpful perspective on the current requests.

I will be taking a couple of weeks off from these updates, resuming Aug. 11.

Until then, take care and enjoy your summer,

Kevin

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado