Colorado Health Benefit Exchange (COHBE)

One of the central provisions of federal health care reform – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – is the creation of health insurance exchanges where individuals, families and small business can buy quality, affordable health insurance.  The law allows states to create their own exchange but if they choose not to, the federal government will create and run an exchange. The Exchange must be open for business by January 1, 2014. 

Colorado moved forward to create its own health insurance exchange with the passage of the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Act (SB 200) in 2011.  SB 200 set up the Exchange Board to manage the creation of Colorado’s Exchange. The Exchange Board is made up of 9 voting members, five selected by the Governor and four selected by the leadership in the General Assembly.  There are also three ex-officio members who advise the board but do not vote, including the Commissioner of Insurance, Executive Director of Health Care Policy and Financing and the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.  The Board is tasked with creating and running the Exchange.  The bill also created a Legislative Health Benefits Implementation Review Committee to review the work of the Board, including application for grant funding, hiring of the Executive Director and the creation of an operational plan. The Legislative Review Committee, which is made up of five Democrats and five Republicans, is charged with guiding implementation of the Exchange. 

CCHI and COHBE

CCHI is actively monitoring and engaging in all aspects of the creation of Colorado's Health Benefit Exchange to ensure that it is fully transparent and accountable to its ultimate users.  We weigh in on discussions and decisions of the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange Board, including its subcommittees and advisory groups, and the Legislative Review Committee. We also ensure that our members are fully aware of the decisions and activities of these entities so that they can be active participants in the discussions.

COHBE Resources:

• COHBE meetings are held the first and third Mondays of the month from 8:30 to 12:30 at COPIC, 7351 E Lowry Boulevard, Denver, CO 80230.
• For more about COHBE, visit the new website: www.getcoveredco.org.
• Here is a schedule of COHBE related activities. 
• Exchange Implementation in Colorado: Engaging the Consumer Perspective: In May 2011, the Colorado General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed into law, Senate Bill 11-200 which authorized creation of the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange (COHBE), a competitive marketplace for individuals and small businesses to compare and purchase health insurance. The COHBE is currently working to develop and implement an exchange that meets the unique needs of Coloradans. The Colorado Public Interest Research Group Foundation (CoPIRG), the Colorado Center on Law and Policy (CCLP) and the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) commenced a consumer engagement project designed to collect consumer feedback on the development and implementation of the COHBE and use the findings to inform ongoing and future decision-making. The first phases of the consumer engagement project included a series of focus groups in five Colorado cities and community forums in 27 Colorado locations. Through this outreach, representatives of the partner organizations spoke with more than 700 Coloradans.
• Consumer Focus Groups Report: As part of the Exchange Implementation in Colorado: Engaging the Consumer Perspective Report, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, the Consumer Health Initiative and the Colorado Public Interest Research Group contracted with John Snow, Inc. to conduct a series of focus groups across Colorado in the summer of 2011 to understand consumer perceptions regarding the exchange.