Governor Hickenlooper Announces Appointments to the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange Board

Governor Hickenlooper announced the appointments to the first Colorado Health Benefits Exchange Board today.  “This will be a Colorado-based health exchange that is created by Coloradans, for Coloradans,” said Hickenlooper. “The Exchange represents a broad collaborative effort between businesses, consumers, providers, the insurer community and the state legislature.  We are excited to be a leader among states on this issue, and one of 10 states that passed legislation.”

The Exchange will be governed by nine voting board members and three ex-officio members.  The members appointed by the Governor, Senate and House Majority and Minority leadership are:

• Richard T. Betts of Telluride, with a term to expire 2013.  Betts is the owner, ASAP Accounting & Payroll, Inc.
• Eric Grossman of Englewood, with a term to expire 2013.  Grossman is a vice president of TriZetto.
• Robert S. Ruiz-Moss of Lone Tree, with a term to expire 2013.  Ruiz-Moss is the Chief Executive Officer of Anthem Blue Cross.
• Elizabeth Soberg of Centennial, with a term to expire 2013.  Soberg is the Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare of Colorado.
• Gretchen Hammer of Denver, with a term to expire 2015.  Hammer is the Executive Director for the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved.
• Stephen ErkenBrack of Grand Junction, with a term to expire 2015.  ErkenBrack is the president of Rocky Mountain Health Plan.
• Arnold Salazar of Alamosa, with a term to expire 2015.  Salazar is the Executive Director of Colorado Health Partnerships, LLC.
• Nathan Wilkes of Arapahoe, with a term to expire 2015.  Wilkes is the founder and principal consultant, Headstorms, Inc.
• Dr. Michael Fallon of Denver, with a term to expire 2015.  Fallon is an emergency room physician

The Colorado Health Exchange was created by Senate Bill 11-200.  It will be an independent public entity not affiliated with an existing state agency or department and initially funded by gifts, grants and donations.  The first meeting of the Exchange Board will be held on Monday, July 11^th.  CRHC will be monitoring the activities of this board, particularly as it pertains to access and affordability for rural Coloradans. 

Recent Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in Rural and Urban Areas

A report by the Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center compares changes in health insurance coverage for non-elderly Americans in rural areas to changes in urban areas during the recent economic recession from 2007 through 2009. In general, rural and urban areas were equally affected by shifts away from private coverage and towards public coverage and uninsurance between 2007-2009; however, rural residents continued to be less likely to have private coverage and more likely to have public coverage than their urban counterparts. Read more. 

Addressing Colorado’s Primary Care Physician Shortages

An article in the Colorado Springs Gazette discusses the current shortage of primary care physicians in rural areas that is projected to worsen in the coming years. The article highlights the clinical team in Rocky Ford & Ordway, including a full time nurse practitioner and part time, traveling family physician, who are meeting the healthcare needs of their communities. Read more. 

CRHC Accepting Nominations for Rural Health Excellence Award

CRHC is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Rural Health Excellence Award. This prestigious award is given annually by Colorado Rural Health Center to honor those who have made a notable contribution to health, healthcare, or a healthcare delivery system in rural Colorado. For 2011, the award will be presented during the 20th Annual Colorado Rural Health Conference August 11-12th, at the Denver Tech Center Hyatt Regency.

To be eligible for the award, a candidate must have made a significant contribution to the health, healthcare, or a healthcare delivery system in a rural Colorado community, area, or region. Healthcare providers, board members, administrators, volunteers and others are eligible for nomination. Despite their enormous contributions, CRHC Board Members are not eligible for nomination while serving on the Board.


To nominate someone, complete the entry form. The deadline for nominations is July 15, 2011.Contact Nadine Gressett with questions. 

National Prevention Strategy Released

The nation’s first National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (National Prevention Strategy) was released last week by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD. The Strategy’s goal is to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life and provides strategic directions and priorities to address health disparities and create healthier workplaces, schools, and communities. Read more. 

June Revenue Forecast

The Governor's Office of State Planning and Budget released its June revenue forecast for General Fund revenue, estimating an increase in revenues by $78.1 million compared with the March 2011 forecast. Although citing some positive economic developments, the forecast projects flat revenues for FY 11-12 and estimates a shortfall of $22.4 million in the coming year to maintain a four percent reserve requirement. Modest economic growth is not expected until FY 2012-2013. Read more.

Safety Net Clinic Week is August 22-26, 2011

In efforts to raise awareness of Colorado's healthcare safety net providers and clinics, ClinicNET and the Colorado Rural Health Center are sponsoring the second annual Safety Net Clinic Week on August 22-26, 2011. The week will be devoted to educating the public and policy makers about often overlooked providers, Community Funded Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs) and federally certified Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), that care for uninsured and underinsured Coloradans. 

There are currently 33 identified CSNCs in Colorado. These clinics tend to be non-profit, rural & urban, and privately funded and they provide primary care services to uninsured and underinsured individuals. Colorado has 52 federally certified RHCs that provide primary care services in some of the most rural and remote areas of Colorado. 

We will be posting more information on Safety Net Clinic Week, including ideas and resources to assist clinics that would like to participate. If you work at a CSNC or RHC and are interested in hosting a site visit with policy makers, we are here to help and will have more information coming soon. 

New Medicare Advantage Policy Brief

Roughly one in four of the nation’s 47 million Medicare beneficiaries currently participate in Medicare Advantage. A new Health Policy Brief from Health Affairs and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation explains how Medicare Advantage plans work, how they are different from traditional “fee-for-service” Medicare, ways in which the plans will change under provisions in the Affordable Care Act, and the debate over the possible effects on the plans. Click here to read the brief. 

ACA Provisions to Strengthen the Nursing Workforce

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains many provisions related to healthcare workforce issues, including strengthening primary care, national workforce policy development, increasing the supply of healthcare workers, education and training of the workforce, and other supports and improvements to the existing workforce. This Implementation Brief by HealthReformGPS focuses on those provisions of the ACA that specifically target the strengthening of the nursing workforce.

Senators Bennet and Udall Give Their Support For Rural Health Programs

Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall signed onto a letter to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education subcommittee to acknowledge current fiscal constraints and request continued support for critical rural healthcare programs in Fiscal Year 2012. The programs referenced in this letter, including the National Health Service Corps, Area Health Education Centers, Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, and the State Offices of Rural Health, play significant roles in promoting access to quality care for Colorado’s rural communities. CRHC thanks Senator Bennet and Senator Udall for their leadership and support for rural healthcare. 

Process for Legislators with Appointment Authority for the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Board To Nominate Applicants

Applicants for a gubernatorial appointment to the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Board (established by SB 200) were required to turn in their applications to the Office of Boards and Commissions by May 23^rd.  However, some of the legislators with appointment authority are asking for the applicants to apply to them directly. Click here for the application for appointment by Representative Sal Pace (House Minority Leader). Applications for appointment by Rep. Pace must be submitted by June 20^th, and he is only considering applicants who apply to him directly.  Senate President Shaffer prefers a separate cover letter and resume as well (though not an application). Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp is only accepting applications (to include cover letter, resume, and references) from individuals who have not applied to Governor Hickenlooper. 

Applicants should be sure to outline which of the SB 200 qualifications they bring to the Board.  The legislators with appointment authority are below—the email addresses to submit applications are available by clicking on the links. 

Senate President Brandon Shaffer

Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp

Speaker of the House Frank McNulty--send letter and resume to this email address.

House Minority Leader Sal Pace--send application to this email address.

Please contact Alicia Haywood if you have any questions. 

White House Creates Rural Council

President Obama signed an executive order creating the first White House Rural Council. On a media call this morning, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack called the Council an “unprecedented commitment to rural America”. The Council will coordinate programs across government to encourage public-private partnerships to promote further economic prosperity and quality of life in rural communities nationwide. Healthcare is identified as one of the key factors for promoting growth that the Council will be discussing. Read more. 

Webinar on American Community Survey

The Rural Assistance Center is sponsoring a webinar on Tuesday, June 21 at 1:00pm on the American Community Survey (ACS), a continuous collection survey that provides more frequent and up-to-date data for all communities. The webinar will discuss the ACS, considerations in using it, and how rural communities can use ACS data to drive policy development. Click here for more information and to register.

California’s Efforts to Advance Telehealth

A new article discusses California’s ongoing efforts to promote and expand access to primary and specialty care in its rural and underserved communities through telehealth. The article suggests that to reduce health disparities and further expand telehealth's reach will require overcoming several financial, policy, and technical hurdles, providing insights for other states including Colorado. Read more. 

Bighorn Leadership Program Seeking Applicants from Western Slope

Interested in directly impacting the health of communities on the Western Slope? Want to influence public policy? Looking to hone your civic leadership skills? Consider applying to the 2011 Bighorn Leadership Development Program. The Bighorn Leadership Program presented by Engaged Public and in collaboration with Colorado State University are seeking individuals to participate in The Bighorn Health Care Policy and Project Lab. The Lab will include public leadership curriculum with an additional component allowing participants the opportunity to focus on the actual implementation of a health related policy or project. Individuals who live on the Western Slope and who have a specific interest in developing their own public leadership skills, health care policy and healthy living in order to better serve their communities and constituencies are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is June 24. Download the application or call 303.282.9250 ext 6 or 303.416.1531.

CMS Hosting Call on The Pioneer ACO Model, June 7 10:00-11:30am MT

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a Special Open Door Forum on the request for applications for the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model released on May 17, 2011. The call is on Tuesday, June 7, 10:00-11:30am MT. Dial 1-866-501-5502 Conference ID  70961782. Click here to read a full call announcement and to access background materials on The Pioneer ACO Model. 

NHQR State Snapshot

State Snapshots of state-specific healthcare quality information are now available. The state-level information used to create the Snapshots is based on data collected for the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR). Colorado’s Snapshot as well as other resources regarding healthcare quality and disparities are available online.