Doing the Math on Medicaid Expansion

On January 1, 2014 Colorado expanded Medicaid. Within six months 210,013 newly eligible adults signed up during the first open enrollment period.

Utah has not expanded Medicaid, and 53,000 Utah adults still live in the coverage gap.

Perhaps Utah’s legislators and the general public could learn something from Colorado lawmakers who debated and passed Medicaid expansion in 2013. After all, Colorado has managed to fund their expansion without using any General Fund dollars.

That’s why the Utah Academy of Family Physicians is hosting a panel discussion this Thursday evening with a bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers to discuss the lessons learned from closing their state’s coverage gap. The panel includes a Republican member of the Colorado General Assembly who voted against expansion.

Read below for details about the event.

Doing the Math: How Smart States are Saving Lives and Money by Closing Coverage Gaps

A conversation with Colorado legislators and health experts on the impact of Medicaid Expansion in their state

Panelists:

State Sen. Irene Aguilar, M.D (D-Denver)

Rep. Lois Landgraff (R-Fountain)

John Bartholomew, Finance Office Director, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance

Moderator: Sen. Gene Davis (D-Salt Lake)

Event details:

Date: Thursday, May 21^st

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Westminster College - Gore Business School Auditorium

Address: 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT

Parking: Free parking located in garage underneath Dumke Athletic Field accessed via 1200 E

Map (link) (pdf)

Presented by the Utah Academy of Family Physicians

10 things to know about Medicaid in Colorado

Colorado Public Radio

(8/25/14)

(link)

Details about the panelists:

State Senator Irene Aguilar, M.D (D-Denver)

Senator Aguilar represents Denver’s Senate District 32 in the Colorado General Assembly. She hopes to use this office to ensure access to quality affordable health care for all Coloradans, reinforce the safety net for people with disabilities and revive the American dream for Latinos in Colorado.

In the Colorado Senate Dr. Aguilar serves as Assistant Majority Leader, she chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and is Vice-Chair of the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Implementation Review Committee. She also serves on the State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.

Senator Aguilar sponsored legislation to expand Medicaid in Colorado and to align our health laws with the Affordable Care Act.  She has worked to ensure those without health insurance receive fair pricing for hospital care. Senator Aguilar has also passed laws to improve the lives of people with disabilities by providing funding for respite, support for applying for social security disability, and a voice at the table. She has been recognized by the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, the National Association of Social Workers, the Colorado Non-Profit Association, the Colorado Medical Society, the Colorado Trial Lawyers, Easter Seals, and the Democratic Party of Denver.

(link)

Rep. Lois Landgraff (R-Fountain)

Rep. Landgraf was elected to serve the people of Fountain and surrounding communities in the 21^st district in the Colorado General Assembly 2012.  Rep. Landgraf graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland and, later, received her MBA from the University of Washington.  Military life also instilled in her a passion for travel, a great education in and of itself.  Traveling throughout Europe, Central America, and beyond, Rep. Landgraf continues to learn about other cultures and appreciates more and more what we have here in America and Colorado. Rep. LAndgraf seves on the following committees: House Health, Insurance and Environment, Public Health Care and Human Services (Ranking Member), and Local Government

(link)

John Bartholomew, Finance Office Director, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance

John Bartholomew is the Finance Office Director of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Bartholomew has been a member of the HCPF team for over 11 years. In the past few years, he has played an instrumental role in finding departmental budget savings and assisting the Governor’s budget office in submitting balanced budgets.

Prior to joining the Department, Bartholomew was the lead economist at the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has served on the board of the Denver Association of Business Economists from 2000 to 2009 and completed a fellowship at the Colorado Health Foundation.

John has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder and received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

(link)