• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Qualifying Event
  • Subsidies
  • Open Enrollment

Colorado Health Insurance Insider

Cutting edge health insurance analysis. Licensed broker assistance.

You are here: Home / Archives for HB1355

HB1355

DOI Report On Small Group Coverage In Colorado

May 9, 2011 By Louise Norris

The Colorado Division of Insurance recently released the 2010 small group market report. The number of employers in Colorado offering small group health insurance dropped by 10% compared with 2009, and the number of Colorado residents with small group health insurance coverage dropped by 7%. The report contains comprehensive data on the availability of coverage, carriers in the small group market, pricing, and how the rating flexibility laws have impacted the market. […]

Filed Under: Group Health, HRA, Individual/Family Health

Group Premiums In Colorado Increasing Faster Than National Average

November 2, 2010 By Louise Norris

A survey conducted by the Lockton Benefit Group found that premiums for employer-sponsored group health insurance policies in Colorado were increasing by an average of 14.4% for 2011, which was “significantly higher than reported nationally.” This was the tenth year in a row that premiums saw double digit increases, but the current increase is the largest in five years, and most employers surveyed (more than 73%) plan to make plan changes or increase employee contributions to offset the large rate increases. […]

Filed Under: Group Health, HRA

HB1355 Now In Effect For All Small Groups In Colorado

November 5, 2009 By Louise Norris

[…] Critics are questioning why insurers keep bringing up HB1355, as the trend in national health care reform these days is towards guaranteed issue health insurance without underwriting – which is what HB 1355 was all about. But while HB1355 was beneficial to groups with unhealthy members, the majority of small groups in Colorado had a discount before HB1355 took effect. And if those groups are unable to afford their new, higher rates, they can opt to cancel their coverage – which leads to higher prices for groups that remain covered. On a national level, as far as individual health insurance is concerned, HB1355 should be considered a warning sign. Getting rid of medical underwriting is the right, and fair, thing to do. But not if people can come and go as they please in the insurance system. We’ve seen what the impact will be on premiums if guaranteed issue coverage takes effect without a strong mandate requiring people to carry health insurance. I think this is why insurers are still bringing up HB1355. It’s impacting all small groups in Colorado now – there’s no more putting it off. And significant rate hikes for healthy groups should serve as a warning for what we’ll likely see in the individual market if reform passes without a way to make sure that everyone is part of the insurance pool.

Filed Under: Anthem Blue Cross, Group Health, Health Insurance Reform, Individual/Family Health

The Impact Of Medical Underwriting On Premiums

September 11, 2009 By Louise Norris

[…] Many proponents of a shift away from medical underwriting want to require everyone to carry health insurance. That would help spread the cost of care across a larger population, and would likely help to contain the price increase that we would see if medical underwriting were to cease. But my guess is that we would still see a rather dramatic increase in premiums.

Filed Under: Anthem Blue Cross, Health Insurance Reform, HSA, Humana, Individual/Family Health

Cooperatives And The Colorado Health Insurance Market

August 18, 2009 By Louise Norris

[…] One of the criticisms of the private health insurance industry is that there isn’t much real competition. Proponents of the co-op idea believe that co-ops would increase competition and thus drive down costs. I’m sure that this is the case in some markets, but here in Colorado we have a pretty robust health insurance market, with lots of companies competing with each other. […]

Filed Under: Group Health, Health Insurance Reform, Individual/Family Health

Looking For Solutions

April 15, 2009 By Louise Norris

[…] I have yet to see an article that is critical of the public health insurance idea and also proposes alternative solutions. Here in Colorado, we have 800,000 people who are uninsured. Nationwide, that number is 47 million, and that was last year, before the recession hit and unemployment numbers started to climb. I have no doubt that it is higher now. […]

Filed Under: Health Insurance Reform, Individual/Family Health, Insurance Companies

The Cover Colorado Option

November 11, 2008 By Louise Norris

[…] going uninsured means that if (when) they do run into an expensive medical problem in the future, they will be out of luck, as Cover Colorado (and other high risk pools) will enforce a waiting period on pre-existing conditions. So we still find ourselves in a situation where people are uninsured and lacking realistic access to health care.

Filed Under: COBRA, Group Health, Individual/Family Health, Maternity/Pregnancy

Colorado Businesses To Pay More For Health Insurance

November 4, 2008 By Louise Norris

[…] Because nearly two thirds of small businesses in Colorado currently receive a discount on their health insurance based on health and claims history, and because any such discounts will be disappearing in January because of HB1355, I think this could be playing a significant role in the premium increases that Colorado employers will be facing next year.

Filed Under: Individual/Family Health

More Regulation Needed To Mandate Employer Coverage

October 17, 2008 By Louise Norris

[…] If our overall goal is increasing the insured population among employees of small businesses here in Colorado and across the country, I think the answer lies with the government covering some portion of the premiums or the claims, in addition to asking employers to take more responsibility for their employees’ health insurance.

Filed Under: Group Health, Health Care Goodies, Health Insurance Reform

How HB1355 Will Affect Our Colorado Clients

October 6, 2008 By Louise Norris

[…] HB1355 prohibits any type of rating based on health history of a group. So while I’m sure the businesses that had been paying an increased rate for their health insurance will be grateful to see the implementation of HB1355, there are four Colorado businesses that I know will not benefit at all, and will actually see significantly higher health insurance premiums next year.

Filed Under: Anthem Blue Cross, Group Health

Lower Rate Increases Often Come With Fewer Benefits

September 25, 2008 By Louise Norris

[…] Once HB1355 takes effect in Colorado in January, we’re likely to see even more small businesses switching to lower-cost, high deductible health insurance plans. HSAs will eventually lead to more transparency in health care and more savvy consumers. But it will be a bumpy road for families adjusting to the change

Filed Under: Anthem Blue Cross, Group Health, HSA, Individual/Family Health

Dangerous Bill To Be Aimed at the Individual Market

September 22, 2008 By Louise Norris

[…] if you currently have pre-existing health conditions and would like to double or triple your health insurance premiums, contact your legislators and tell them to remove underwriting from individual/family health insurance in Colorado so healthy people no longer have a reason to purchase coverage for the possibility of future health problems.

Filed Under: Anthem Blue Cross, Health Insurance Reform, Individual/Family Health, Insurance Companies, Policy

Colorado House Bill 1355 Passes Senate

April 26, 2007 By Jay Norris

Colorado House Bill 1355 (in reference to small groups between 2 and 50 employees) was passed by the senate today including an amendment that would have the change slowly brought in over the course of two years. So it will go back to the House for consideration of this (and other) amendments. HB1355 is a… Read more about Colorado House Bill 1355 Passes Senate

Filed Under: Group Health, Humana, Policy

Improving Colorado’s Health Insurance Market

March 31, 2007 By Jay Norris

The health insurance system works best when as many people as possible (preferrably all people) are covered. In a free market system, legislating the insurers is a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, we need to keep them from trying to only insure healthy people and excluding those with health conditions. But on the… Read more about Improving Colorado’s Health Insurance Market

Filed Under: Group Health, Insurance Companies, Policy

Footer

Copyright © 2022 · Insurance Shoppers, Inc. · Privacy Policy