Colorado proposes running public health care option through private insurers

When Colorado’s public health insurance option rolls out on the individual market in a few years, the state won’t be running the plans offered to consumers. Instead, the coverage will be administered by private insurance companies, which also will bear the brunt of the costs, according to initial details of the proposal.

Coloradans who receive coverage under the public option plans could see monthly premiums that are an estimated 9% to 18% cheaper than the projected rates for other commercial plans on the individual market when the program debuts in 2022.

The 196-page draft of the public health insurance option was released Monday afternoon by the state Division of Insurance and the state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

Earlier this year, state legislators approved a bill directing the two agencies to come up with a proposal of what a public option could look like in Colorado. The agencies are accepting public comments on the draft until Oct. 25. They have until Nov. 15 to submit a final report to the legislature.

Read more: https://www.dailycamera.com/2019/10/07/colorado-public-insurance-option-draft/