In 2005, voters approved Referendum C, which is a voter-approved revenue change to the TABOR fiscal year spending limit. Under the referendum, the state is permitted to retain and spend all state revenues up to the excess state revenues cap. The excess state revenues cap is adjusted annually for inflation and population changes, among other things. The bill modifies the excess state revenues cap by allowing an annual adjustment for an increase based on the average annual change of Colorado personal income over the last 5 years, rather than adjusting for inflation and population. Colorado personal income is the total personal income for Colorado as reported by a federal agency. As the modification may increase the amount that the state retains and spends in a given fiscal year, the bill seeks voter approval for the change, as required by TABOR. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
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Under current law, health benefit plans are required to cover health care services delivered to a covered person by a provider via telehealth in the same manner that the plan covers health care services delivered by a provider in person. The bill clarifies that: A health plan cannot restrict or deny coverage of telehealth services based on the communication technology or application used to deliver the telehealth services; The availability of telehealth services does not change a carrier's obligation to contract with providers available in the community to provide in-person services; A covered person may receive telehealth services from a private residence, but the carrier is not required to pay or reimburse for any transmission costs or originating site fees the covered person incurs; A carrier is to apply the applicable copayment, coinsurance, or deductible amount to health care services a covered person receives through telehealth, which amount cannot exceed the amount applicable to those health care services when delivered through in-person care; and Telehealth includes health care services provided through HIPAA-compliant audio-visual communication or the use of a HIPAA-compliant application via a cellular telephone but does not include voice-only telephone communication or text messaging.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)
The bill clarifies that the Colorado dental board may promulgate rules for the use of lasers for dental and dental hygiene purposes within the defined scopes of practice and with appropriate supervision. The bill makes clarifications as to what is considered the practice of unsupervised dental hygiene. The bill also corrects a statutory reference. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
The bill requires a health insurance carrier or an intermediary that conducts credentialing, utilization management, or utilization review to: Base health care coverage authorizations and medical necessity determinations on generally accepted and evidence-based standards and criteria of clinical practice; Disclose to a carrier's policyholders and providers the evidence-based standards and criteria of clinical practice and processes that the carrier uses for coverage authorizations and medical necessity determinations of health care services; Ensure that coverage authorizations and medical necessity determinations are performed by a health care provider; Categorize a condition as a new episode of care if the same provider has not treated the policyholder for the condition within the previous 30 days; and Ensure that tiered prior authorization criteria are based on generally accepted and evidence-based standards and criteria of clinical practice. The bill prohibits: An intermediary from requiring coverage authorization or a medical necessity determination prior to the evaluation and management services provided by a health care provider to a policyholder during an initial health care visit; and A carrier from creating incentives to reduce or deny coverage authorizations or medical necessity determinations.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Interim Study Committee on Communication Between the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) and Medicaid Clients. The bill clarifies that a medicaid recipient (recipient) who files an appeal does not need to make an affirmative request to continue medicaid benefits during the appeal. The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (department) to send the recipient written confirmation of continuing benefits. For a recipient who chooses not to continue receiving benefits during the appeal process, the form and electronic filing process for appeals must include a check box or other method to opt out of continuing benefits. The bill requires the form and electronic filing process for appeals to include a check box or other method to request an accommodation to file the appeal or to participate in the hearing and to request the county or service delivery agency dispute resolution process. Additionally, the electronic appeals filing website must allow the applicant or recipient to attach the number of documents sufficient to support the appeal along with the appeal form. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Under current law, if a business has less than $7,300 of personal property that would be listed on a single personal property schedule, then the personal property is exempt from the property tax and the business is not required to submit a schedule to the county assessor. With respect to this exemption, the bill reduces the amount of personal property tax that businesses pay by: Increasing the exemption that applies per schedule from $7,300 to $50,000, adjusted for inflation in the future, which increase will allow more businesses to avoid filing personal property tax schedules; and Allowing businesses whose personal property value exceeds the total exemption amount to claim the exemption. For public utilities that are assessed statewide, the property tax administrator currently considers all of a public utility's tangible property within the state as a factor in determining the value of the public utility as a unit. The bill modifies the valuation process by: Exempting the first $50,000 or an inflation-adjusted amount of personal property from the property tax and excluding it from the administrator's consideration for valuation purposes; and Excluding the exempt personal property from the public utility's statement of property that it files with the administrator.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)