Rep. Morgan Carroll's Blog

My mom found a gray & black persian near Lighthouse and the Breakers and has been trying to find its person.  She (I think she) has a “poodle cut” and has her back legs shaved.  If you know anyone who lost their Persian, please call me at (303)726-1742.

Yesterday Governor Ritter signed the FAIR Act (HB 08-1389)!  The bill is an historic reform addressing affordable access to health care.  It requires insurance carriers to justify their rate increases and gives the Insurance Commissioner the ability to reject unjustified rate hikes on behalf of consumers.  It also tracks data on the reasons why rates go up when they do and makes that information available to the public.

Later we had a celebration party for the FAIR coalition were joined by over 50 citizens and supporters to celebrate the bill’s passage and the victory of consumers for health care.

Thank you to all you who got engaged to make a difference on behalf of the people of Colorado.  People’s lives will be better because of what you did.

Christy Blakely (Family Voices), Monica Griego (Colorado Consumer Health Initiative), Rep. Morgan Carroll

More than 4,000 ordinary but fabulous citizens got involved to fight for affordable access to health insurance and their efforts to support the FAIR Act (HB 08-1389 M. Carroll - Sandoval).

This is a real victory for rate-payers in Colorado and for the power of the people. If you were part of the effort to pass this historic legislation in Colorado, we want to thank you.

WHAT:         The FAIR Party
WHEN:         Thurs. June 5, 2008, 5:00 - 7:30 PM
WHERE:      The Red Room, 320 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver

See you there!

Morgan

SCHOOLS & EDUCATION

Build Excellent Schools Today – HB 1335, Speaker Romanoff, President Groff & Sen. Schwartz: Makes as much as $1 billion available to repair and rebuild the state’s crumbling schools.

Ensure Safe Schools – SB 1, Sen. Morse, Rep. Stephens: Creates a school safety resource center to assist in preparing and responding to school crises.

Expand Early Education – HB 1388 (School Finance Act), Reps. Pommer, Sen. Windels: Allows 25,000 more 4- and 5-year-olds to enroll in preschool and full-day kindergarten.

Help Dyslexic Students – HB 1223, Rep. Merrifield, Sen. Williams: Identifies dyslexia early on to help kids with special needs become effective learners.

Teach for Colorado – SB 133, Sen. Shaffer, Rep. Andy Kerr: Provides incentives for college students to teach math and science after graduation.

Recruit & Retain Teachers – HB 1384, Reps. Todd & Merrifield, Sen. Bacon: Awards stipends to teachers who focus on hard-to-serve districts and streamlines the licensure process.

Create Plan for All Kids To Achieve – SB 212, Sens. Romer & Penry, Reps. Scanlan & Witwer: ‘CAP for Kids’ aligns Colorado’s pre-school, K-12 and college educational systems and content standards.

Allow Schools to Innovate – SB 130, President Groff & Sen. Spence, Rep. T. Carroll: Encourages schools and school districts to innovate to improve student performance by creating Zones of Innovative Performance (ZIPs) free of certain district and state regulations.

Raise College Opportunity Fund – HB 1375 (Long Bill), Rep. Buescher, Sen. Keller: Adds $50 million to increase stipends to put higher education within reach for more Colorado students.

Increase Higher Ed. Capital Construction – SB 218, Sens. Schwartz & Penry, Reps. Buescher & Balmer: Re-allocates Federal Mineral Lease dollars to help the state’s underfunded college campuses maintain their infrastructure.

RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT

Generate Homegrown Energy – HB 1160, Rep. Solano, Sens. Shaffer & Isgar: Gives customers credit when their meter runs backwards from the production of wind and solar power.

Develop Utility-Scale Solar Energy – HB 1164, Rep. Solano, Sen. Schwartz: Advances energy independence and protects consumers by opening the market to utility-scale solar projects.

Support New Energy Technologies – HB 1375 (Budget), Reps. Buescher & Pommer, Sens. Keller & Morse: Grows the Clean Energy Fund to promote innovation and investment in the industry.

Help Coloradans “Go Green” – HB 1350, Rep. Madden, Sen. Romer; SB 184, Sen. Romer, Rep. Levy: Helps consumers afford the upfront costs of renewable energy and efficiency measures with low-interest loans.

Keep Our Rivers Healthy – HB 1280, Rep. Fischer, Sen. Schwartz: Protects water rights and keeps more water in the river to safeguard ecosystems and Colorado’s recreational economy.

Maintain Healthy Forests & Reduce Fire Danger – SB 71, Sen. Gibbs, Rep. Scanlan: Supports community-based responses to the bark beetle epidemic to reduce wildfires.

Protect Our Water – HB 1161, Reps Kefalas & Fischer, Sens. Bacon & Johnson: Helps local communities protect their land and groundwater supplies from radioactive waste produced by uranium mining.

Ensure Reliable Water Supplies for Development – HB 1353, Rep. Madden, Sen. Isgar: Directs developers to identify adequate water supplies before new developments are approved.

Strengthen Conservation Easement Program – HB 1353, Rep. Madden, Sen. Isgar: Preserves Colorado’s open spaces by preventing fraud and misuse of the successful program.

CUTTING TAXES & RED TAPE

Cut Taxes & Red Tape for Small Businesses – HB 1225, Reps. Rice & Buescher, Sens. Williams & Ward: Eliminates the business personal property tax (BPPT) for 30,000 small businesses.

Eliminate the Aerospace Industry’s “Flyaway Tax” – HB 1261, Rep. Buescher, Sen. Bacon: Exempts from sales tax the sale of new and used aircraft that are to be used outside Colorado.

Reduce Tax Burden on Employers – HB 1380, Rep. Jahn, Sen. Shaffer: A “Single Factor Tax” allows businesses to pay one tax – based on sales – rather than pay based on multiple factors, allowing them to put more resources back into their businesses.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY

Boost Bioscience Business – HB 1001, Rep. Riesberg, Sen. Bacon: Makes $26.5 million available for universities and start-up companies to move new technologies out of the lab and into the marketplace.

Expand Rural Broadband Access – SB 215, Sen. Schwartz, Rep. Riesberg: Encourages greater broadband in rural communities to support access to the Internet and help small, rural businesses.

Help Homeowners Stay in Their Homes – HB 1402, Reps. Gagliardi & Ferrandino, Sen. Bacon: Establishes and finances outreach programs to get homeowners facing foreclosure information about available counseling resources, including the Foreclosure Hotline, to help more Coloradans stay in their homes.

Rejuvenate Colorado’s Cities and Towns – SB 170, Sen. Bacon, Rep. Buescher: Revitalizes cities and towns by allowing them to extend the period that they can return local tax revenue to local businesses.

HEALTH CARE

Expand Health Care Access for Kids – SB 160, Sen. Hagedorn, Rep. McGihon: Helps 50,000 more kids get the health care they need.

Increase Eligibility – SB 161, Sen. Sandoval, Rep. Merrifield: Cuts bureaucracy so more kids eligible for coverage can get the health care they need.

Increase Reimbursement Rates – HB 1375 (Budget), Reps. Buescher & Pommer, Sens. Keller & Morse: Increases reimbursement rates for services provided to low-income and disabled patients through Medicaid program.

Cut Administrative Waste – SB 135, Sen. Mitchell, Rep. Gagliardi: Using standardized health ID cards and claim forms, providers trim costs and focus on helping the sick.

Improve Transparency – HB1385 Rep. Primavera, Sen. Schwartz; HB1393 Pommer & Stephens, Morse & Mitchell: Creates user-friendly report cards with consumer information comparing health insurance companies; publishes the cost of top 25 hospital procedures and creates a consumer’s guide to those health care procedures.

Cancer Screenings – HB 1410, Rep. A Kerr, Sen. Tochtrop: Fights colon cancer – the second leading cancer killer in Colorado – by directing insurance companies to provide evidence-based screenings.

Coverage That Counts – HB 1407, Speaker Romanoff, Sen. Majority Leader Gordon: Holds insurance companies accountable if they unreasonably delay or deny payments for benefits included in their plans.

Hold Insurance Industry Accountable – HB 1228, Rep. Green, Sen. Majority Leader Gordon: Allows the commissioner of insurance to collect restitution – or damages – on behalf of misled consumers.

Fair, Affordable Insurance Rates – HB 1389, Rep. M. Carroll, Sen. Sandoval: Gives the Division of Insurance the ability to deny rate hikes for consumers and employers if evidence does not support the increase and gives full transparency to reasons for premiums increases.

Below are some the tangible results of the 2008 Legislative Session:

100 – New schools that could be built under Building Excellent Schools Today – or BEST – (HB 1335).

25,000 – Four- and five-year-olds who will be able to attend preschool and full-day kindergarten (HB 1375).

124,353 – Students who will benefit from increases in higher education funding and need-based grants and scholarships (HB 1375).

50,000 – Kids without insurance who will get health care because of new outreach efforts, expanded eligibility and streamlined enrollment procedures (SB 160 & 161, HB 1375).

80,000 – Mothers across Colorado who will have the opportunity to donate adult stem cells from their umbilical cords for use as life-saving therapies for illnesses including leukemia, cerebral palsy and sickle cell anemia (HB 1372).

700 – Coloradans on the developmental disabilities services waitlist who will no longer have to wait to receive the services they need (HB 1375).

1.3 Million – Coloradans whose health insurance rates cannot be increased without good cause (Fair Accountable Insurance Rates Act – or FAIR – Act (HB 1389).

30,000 – Small business owners who will no longer have to pay the Business Personal Property Tax and will be able to invest more time and money back into their business (HB 1225).

$63,000 – Average salary of employees at Colorado’s 380 bioscience companies.  Many of those companies are benefiting from Colorado’s successful Bioscience Discoveries Grant Program (HB 1001).

920,000 – Rural Coloradans who can now generate their own solar and wind energy, while staying on the grid (HB 1160)

5600 – Number of homeowners facing foreclosure who will have a better chance of staying in their homes because of legislation we passed this year (HB 1402).

2 Million Acres – Amount of protected land in Colorado already conserved through the Conservation Easement Tax Credit Program. The program was made even stronger this year (HB 1352).

Aurora Special Action Alert

Stop a proposed new jail in Aurora: public meeting Wednesday, April 9

Dear Colorado Progressive Coalition Members and Friends:

As a progressive human rights organization, CPC has long-standing commitments to reforming both the criminal justice and immigration systems. We know that throwing more public money into jail and prison building while our school and health care systems struggle does not help to build a progressive future. We also know that our current immigration system is broken leaving many communities facing unjust criminalization and family separation. This is why we’re writing to you today.

To stand up for both criminal justice reform and immigrant justice, Colorado Progressive Coalition has partnered with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition to oppose the construction of a large new immigrant jail in an Aurora residential neighborhood.

The GEO Group, a billion dollar corporation, is seeking approval to build a new 1,100 bed immigrant holding facility in a working class residential neighborhood in Aurora. The City of Aurora Planning Commission will vote on this proposal this week, on Wednesday, April 9.

Please join us to stand up against more prison building at the Aurora Planning Commission meeting this Wednesday!

What? Say “No!” to the Aurora Planning Commission before it votes on a proposed large new immigration jail in an Aurora residential neighborhood

When? Show your support for immigrant justice and criminal justice reform this Wednesday, April 9, 5:00 P.M. at a Public Protest; Also, you may testify at the Planning Commission hearing at 6:00 P.M.

Where? The Planning Commission meeting will be in the Aurora City Council Chambers at 15151 East Alameda Parkway, Aurora, 80012

Please join us!

For more information, please contact Miriam Pena at Colorado Progressive Coalition at 303.866.0908 or cpc@progressivecoalition.org or Chandra Russo at Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition at 303.893.3500, extension 106.

Thank you! Hope to see you in Aurora!

In peace,

Miriam Pena
Colorado Progressive Coalition

My favorite hard working hero for justice turns 31 today.

Today, a package of insurance reform bills was announced to give Colorado consumers better bang for their buck. Legislators were joined by families, small business owners and citizen health advocates to make their welcome announcement.

Requiring Insurance Companies to Justify Their Rates - FAIR Act:
Rep. Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora) and Sen. Paula Sandoval (D-Denver) announced legislation that would require insurance companies to justify their rate increases before they could take effect and give authority to the Insurance Commissioner to deny all unjustified rate increases. The bill would also bring transparency to the rate process so we could know why rates go up, when they do go up and make that information available to the public.

Making Insurance Companies Pay the Claims They Owe (Ins. Acct Act):
Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) and Sen. Ken Gordon (D-Denver) also announced reform legislation aimed to make insurance companies pay what they owe, designed to prevent the unreasonable denial of claims.

Ability to Order Restitution to Consumers for Harms Caused:
Rep. Gwyn Green (D-Golden) has also introduced legislation that would give the Insurance Commissioner the authority to order resitution to consumers when they are harmed by insurance violations of the law.

OUR PREMIUMS ARE OUT OF CONTROL

FACT: Premiums increased > 140% in metro-Denver, small employer premiums for a family of four from 2000 to 2005 . SOURCE: (DORA – Division of Insurance)

FACT: Premiums increased 82.2% for a family policy from 2000 to 2006 - wages increased only 15% in the same time. (SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation)

AS RATES CLIMB, SO TOO DOES THE # OF UNINSURED

FACT: The number one reason people go uninsured or that businesses drop health insurance coverage is because premiums are not affordable. (SOURCE: Kaiser Health Tracking Poll)

“Our health should be their bottom line.”, said Rep. Morgan Carroll

NATIONAL CRISIS – BUT WORSE IN COLORADO

FACT: Colorado rates are 7th from the top in cost compared to other states, yet we have one of the healthiest populations in the U.S. So why are we paying more for less? (SOURCE: Association of Health Insurance Plans).

“If it seems like you are paying more for less, it’s because you are.”, said Rep. Carroll.

FACT: Colorado spends less per capita ($4,716) on health care costs than the U.S. average ($5,283) yet we spend more on premiums in Colorado ($4,223 single, $10,727 family) than the U.S. average ($4,121 single, $10,632 family). (SOURCE: CMS 2004, AHRQ 2005 Premiums, Dr. Len Nichols, New America Foundation)

FACT: The rate of Growth in Colorado is also faster than the national average. Colorado’s per capita health spending (5.7%) is growing faster than the national average (5.5%). (SOURCE: Dr. Len Nichols, New America Foundation)

SO WHY ARE YOUR PREMIUMS SO EXPENSIVE?

FACT - PROCESS: Colorado law does not currently require insurance companies to justify their rate increases before they take effect. That means under the current system there is no meaningful oversight on insurance rates in Colorado. Combined with the fact that there is a known oligopoly in Colorado’s market, you will not see real competition to drive down prices.

If we were better tracking transparency on our insurance rates, what types of things might we find out?

FACT - CONTENT:

• Insurance Companies are spending an estimated $98 Billion in excess administrative costs per year. The same report finds that it would cost $77 Billion per year to provide full medical care to all of America’s uninsured. (SOURCE: McKinsey & Company Jan. 2007).

Consumers are paying for that waste.

• The insurance industry has remained in the most profitable industries in the U.S. according to Forbes magazine, yielding over $18 billion in profits in 2007. (SOURCE: Fortune Apr. 30, 2007, Fortune 1,000).

Consumers are subsidizing those profits.

• Insurance CEO’s were paid salaries over $300 million with almost $650 million in stock options in 2007, not counting expense accounts or bonuses. (SOURCE: Fortune Magazine)

Consumers are paying those salaries.

• The insurance industry has spent $1 billion on lobbying from 1998 – 2007. (SOURCE: Open Secrets.org)

Consumers premiums are often used to lobby against your interests.

• The insurance industry retained surplus of $600 billion as of the end of 2006, more than doubling recommended levels. (that’s in addition to reserves, claims, profits and admin) (SOURCE: Consumer Federation of America, Jan. 8, 2007).

Consumers are paying for these excesses.

When an insurance company over-charges you, not only are you paying more for less, but they are also shifting costs onto the taxpayers, where you are paying for it again. Enough!!

SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

We will be introducing legislation next week to require insurance companies justify their rate increases before they could take effect and when rates do go up we will track the reasons why they go up and make that information available to the public. We will also reveal how much of your premium dollars go to actual benefits for each insurance company in what is called a benefits ratio.

Under a similar system California was able to save consumers $700 million dollars in only one year (2007) because the insurance rates were found to be excessive and unjustified by the Insurance Commissioner. (SOURCE: BestWire Real-Time Insurance Newswire).

Today we join 38 other states who require prior review and approval for health & / or auto rates before insurance rate hikes can take effect.

Colorado citizens should have a right to know where their hard-earned money is going and how much of their premium dollar is actually being spent on benefits!

WE CAN & MUST FIGHT BACK!

There are approximately 1,300 special districts currently in Colorado. There is a boom in these micro-governments and our laws have not kept pace with the reality of their modern prevalence. Just in select metro-area districts alone they have $255 BILLION in authorized but inissued bond debt. That is more than 15xs the size of the entire state budget.

As front door funding periodically decreased from the feds, the state, our cities, special districts have become increasingly significant in funding and paying for government services.

So what why does that matter?

How many people know:

1. What Special Districts they live in?
2. What the Mill Rate is?
3. What that means in actual $$$?
4. Who represents them?
5. When they hold their elections? and
6. Where they hold their elections?

The Answer: Very few. Voter turnout in Special District Elections can be as low as 3% of eligible voters.

This is why I have introduced the Special District Accountability Act of 2008 (HB 08-1259). The bill (as amended) does the following:

1. Provides notice to homebuyers of what special districts they are living in ;
2. Puts public notice on the Division of Local government about current audit, budgets and reporting information of Special Districts;
3. Adds special districts elections to mail ballot requirements for voters who have opted for permanent mail-in ballot status;
4. Provides annual notice from Special Districts to each eligible elector of:
   1.  the principal place of business for each District,
   2. their Board Members and contact information,
   3. time and place of regularly scheduled meetings,
   4. time and place of elections and how to nominate someone to run for office.

Actual notice will provided to electors either via:  mail, in newsletter, in bill or via web site cross-linked with the Division of Local Government.  A copy of this notice will be filed with the County Clerk and Recorder for public inspection.

Special districts can be used by developers to publicly tax their private projects.  Likewise, one can’t help but notice the proliferation in special districts after passage of TABOR.  It can be an end run around TABOR.  Likewise, if it is awkward or uncomfortable for those in city, state government to raise taxes, creation of or delegation to these special districts with precious little public awareness can be an alternative way to raise taxes or make other changes with very little public awareness or oversight.

That said, the services provided can often be essential services:  water, fire protection, forest management, sewage treatment.  Nonetheless voters ought to be aware that they rights are frequently being impacted by people they do not know in elections of which they are unaware.

There are many reasons for the increased growth in the cost of health care but I want to write about one that may not be obvious — spending on lobbyists. Like individuals, industries clearly have a First Amendment right to Petition Government (and that includes hiring paid advocates), but you might be interested in knowing how much this costs YOU in the form of increased health costs that YOU, the consumer ultimately pay.

From 1998 - 2007 here’s how much the following industries spent on lobbying activities nationally:

• Insurance Industry spent $1,008,474,967 on Lobbying

• Pharmaceutical Industry spent $1,316,714,703 on Lobbying

• Hospital / Nursing Home Industry spent $563,926,474 on Lobbying

• Health Professionals spent $531,096,203 on Lobbying

*SOURCE: Open Secrets.org

Imagine how much cheaper your premiums might be if YOU weren’t paying $3.95 BILLION for their lobbying activities since 1998? ($3,951,308.550 to be precise).

That would have been enough to pay for an entire year of insurance premiums for 1,069,655 individuals at the average of $3,695 per year for individual coverage.

*SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation

The consumer is ultimately footing a big bill for lobbying activities that are not always in their best interests.