A bill that would study the feasibility of putting all of Colorado into one geographic region to determine health insurance costs has passed the Colorado House of Representatives and will now head to the Colorado Senate for a vote, according to Steamboat Today.
Here are five takeaways:
1. Currently, Colorado is divided into nine regions, each with its own health insurance rates based, in part, on the cost and availability of providers in a given region.
2. Routt County, which falls in the Mountain Region, has insurance premium costs higher than the rest of Colorado and the country, according to proponents of the bill.
3. If passed, House Bill 16-1336 would require the Department of Regulatory Agencies to conduct a study to determine the impact of establishing a single geographic area for premium rates. The study would need to be completed by Aug. 1.
4. Bill sponsors said premiums in the west region of Colorado increased an average of 25.6 percent in 2016, while increases statewide averaged 9.8 percent.
5. Equalrates.com, a website that updates residents about the bill's progress, includes an online petition to support the bill, which had been signed by 1,500 people as of April 18.