Congress Approves Legislation for Greater Health Care Access
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The Colorado House of Representatives has passed three healthcare-related legislations. The first bill, SB24-110, is aimed at saving residents money on prescription drugs, particularly antipsychotic medications, by removing the need for prior authorization from the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. The second bill, SB24-034, seeks to expand the existing School-Based Health Center Grant Program to include telehealth services and mobile health units, while the third, SB24-116, intends to expand healthcare coverage for low-income patients by permitting hospitals to determine presumptive eligibility and modifying requirements for indigent patients.
Colorado House Improves Health Care Access with Three New Legislations
Today, the Colorado House passed three legislations aimed at improving health care access. SB24-110, SB24-034, and SB24-116, sponsored by various Representatives, offer solutions ranging from prescription drug cost reduction to telehealth services expansion and extending health care coverage for low-income patients.
Legislation to Lower Prescription Drug Cost
SB24-110, the bill sponsored by Representatives Judy Amabile and Emily Siorta, aims to save Coloradans money on prescription drugs. Rep. Amabile emphasized that the bill removes unnecessary authorization requirements for some antipsychotic medications, facilitating access for patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other mental health disorders.
Expansion of School-Based Health Care Services
Representatives Mandy Lindsay and Lorena Garcia proposed SB24-034, which aims to expand the existing School-Based Health Center Grant Program to include telehealth services and mobile health units. The bill passed the House by a vote of 45 to 17 and could greatly extend primary and behavioral health care to children and young adults across Colorado.
Increasing Health Care Coverage for Low-Income Patients
SB24-116, introduced by Rep. Iman Jodeh, is designed to expand health care coverage for low-income patients. By easing the requirements for the presumptive eligibility program and for indigent patients receiving discounted care, the bill enables hospitals to make presumptive eligibility determinations and provides more accessible health care to the underprivileged.
The bill also proposes changes to the requirements for indigent patients receiving health care discounts on services not reimbursed through the Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP), including requiring Colorado residency, placing a price cap on comprehensive bills, denying discounted care to patients presumptively eligible for Medicaid, and excluding primary care provided in clinics in rural or frontier counties that offer a sliding-fee scale.
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