There are two distinct but inextricably related tracks that have made health care such a prominent issue for lawmakers at all levels of government: the rising number of uninsured, and the rising costs of health care itself. There are a number of programs in place designed to address the former, most notably — or notoriously, depending on politics — is the Affordable Care Act, known less officially as Obamacare. The latter, though, remains an bulletproof nut to crack, but that has not stopped governments from trying.
The magnitude of the situation is staggering: health expenditures in the United States represented 17.3 percent of GDP in 2009 — the most recent year for which actual figures are available — and are projected to be almost one-fifth of the pie by 2019. That is not a sustainable growth curve, and it is made worse by the growing tab for the public's share of the cost, which is expected to exceed 50 percent this year. Tackling these staggering figures is the challenge for federal and state governments, and the fallout is felt by all communities.
Colorado has certainly not avoided this problem of limited funds and growing costs, let alone that of high numbers of uninsured. With budgetary constraints owed to the current recession and the ratcheting effect of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, Colorado's health care dollars are fewer than many other states and as a result, there is a significant gap between needs and resources and programs to meet those needs. With the problem being so large, there is no single, easy or expedient solution. Instead, lawmakers must take a piecemeal approach. House Bill 1504, sponsored by Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, is one such baby step.
The measure would clear some bureaucratic hurdles for health care providers who contract with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, so that duplicative paper work would not be required. Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio, is a supporter of the measure, which passed the House late in January and is now awaiting action in the Senate. While Fields' bill will certainly not solve the problem of health care costs in Colorado, it uses a precision approach to address one identifiable area where both the state and health care providers are unnecessarily burdened by state contracting rules — a burden that adds bureaucratic layers and associated costs to the provision of health care.
Under the measure, health care providers that have already been through the Health Care Policy and Financing department's approval process for one service will not have to begin anew the process for another service in another program, provided that the department has oversight of that program as well. This will streamline the contracting process for such instrumental public health offerings as Medicaid, the Children's Basic Health Plan, the Colorado Indigent Care program, and school health services, among other key public programs. In all, some 1,600 contracts will be expedited by the measure, according to Rep. Brown's estimate.
HB 1504 is far from a magic bullet, but it represents the sorts of places lawmakers can look to find savings in the behemoth health care system. With programs starved for cash and patients facing fewer options, any savings is better than none. The Legislature should pass HB 1504 and others like it as they arise.
