House Bill 21-1232, a bill passed by the Colorado Legislature and signed into law by Governor Polis last year, established the Colorado Option Program and directed the Division of Insurance to consult with an Advisory Board. The Colorado Option will help improve access, affordability and racial health equity for Coloradans purchasing health insurance in the individual market (meaning insurance not from an employer) and the small group market (for employers with less than 100 employees).
Colorado Option Advisory Board
To ensure the work of the Colorado Option is transparent and informed by a variety of stakeholders, the Governor will appoint members of the Colorado Option Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will consist of up to 11 members with varied experience in health care and will meet every other month for two hours.
To the extent possible, the law requires the Governor to appoint members who have experience working with underserved communities and who reflect the state’s diversity in terms of race, immigration status, income, ability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, and geography. The Governor will also seek individuals from rural and urban parts of the state.
The Program is still looking for applicants who have experience in the following areas.
- Healthcare Consumer advocacy organizations
- Individuals with expertise in health equity
- Individuals who have faced barriers to health access, including people of color, immigrants, and Coloradans with low incomes
- Licensed or retired physicians
- Employee organizations that represent employees in the health-care industry
In future years, the Governor will look to appoint individuals who have purchased the Colorado Option Standardized Plan that will become available for the 2023 benefit year.
In addition to consulting with the Division on the implementation of the Colorado Option, the Advisory Board may:
- Consider recommendations to streamline how carriers make determinations on whether a health care service, treatment plan, prescription drug or durable medical equipment is medically necessary for a patient (sometimes called prior authorization or prior approval) in the Colorado Option Standardized Health Benefit Plan;
- Recommend ways to keep health care services in the communities where patients live; and
- Consider whether Alternative Payment Models may be appropriate for particular services, taking into account the impacts of such models on health outcomes for people of color. Alternative Payment Models is an approach to payment that gives added incentive payments to providers for providing high-quality and cost-efficient care.
Apply for the Colorado Option Advisory Board by April 15, 2022, using the button below, which takes you to the Governor's Office application for Colorado Boards and Commissions. You will need to select "Colorado Option Advisory Board" from the drop down menu on the first screen.
Application - Colorado Boards & Commissions
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Find more information at the Division of Insurance website for the Colorado Option.