MEDIA STATEMENT
DATE: May 30, 2023
CONTACT: Priya Telang, 313-820-2428, ptelang@cohealthinitiative.org
Jenny Davies, 720-296-9545, jenny@progressive-promotions.com
Health Care without Hidden Costs Praises Signing of Facility Fees Bill into Law
“An important start, but more must be done to protect consumers and lower health care prices.”
DENVER – With Governor Jared Polis’s approval of HB-1215, the bill to limit facility fees and force transparency to protect consumers, Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, released the following statement:
“The bill to promote transparency and limit hospital ‘facility fees’ passed the legislature thanks to relentless grassroots efforts in the face of outrageous opposition from well-financed health care industry groups. House Bill 1215 is an important start and will shed light on how these facility fees are being used in our health care system and increasing costs. Critically, it will protect Coloradans by ensuring they are notified of these unexpected fees in advance and prohibit them from happening for services like preventive care visits. We look forward to using the data this bill will provide to further protect against unnecessary fees and save Coloradans money, but more must be done to protect consumers and lower health care prices.”
“We thank the Governor for signing the bill today.”
While Colorado families struggle to afford basic health care, a recent report from the Colorado Department on Health Care Policy and Financing found that hospitals are experiencing growing profits and margins overall. From 2018 through 2020, Colorado hospitals were ranked in the Top 10 nationally for costs, prices and profits.
“Hardworking Coloradans made their voices heard this legislative session to make health care more transparent and affordable,” said Austin Blumenfeld, Executive Director of Centennial State Prosperity. “Thank you Governor Polis and state lawmakers for their hard work to pass House Bill 1215, which creates transparency and first of its kind limits in Colorado’s on facility fees. We look forward to continuing our work in the future addressing these fees to ensure we have health care without hidden costs.”
HB23-1215 is backed by Health Care without Hidden Costs, a coalition of organizations focused on making health care more transparent and affordable including the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Centennial State Prosperity, the Committee to Protect Health Care, Small Business Majority, and United States of Care.
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