Frequently Asked Questions

1.   What is SB06-208?

SB06-208 is the legislation passed by the Colorado General Assembly in the 2006 session to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform (sometimes referred to as the "208 Commission").

2.   What does the Commission do?

The Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform is charged with seeking, understanding, and then presenting comprehensive statewide health care reform options to the General Assembly and providing specific recommendations to improve the health care system in Colorado.

3.   What is the Commission's purpose?
The Commission's purpose is to study and establish health care reform models that expand health care coverage and decrease health care costs for Colorado residents.  The Commission is authorized to examine options for expanding affordable health coverage for all Colorado residents in both the public and private sector markets, with special attention given to the uninsured, underinsured, and those at risk of financial hardship due to medical expenses.

4.   What is the Commission's composition?
The Commission has 24 members.  They include eight (8) members who represent consumers, eight (8) who represent purchasers who are not health care providers, and eight (8) who are considered experts and business leaders (policy experts, state and local officials, physicians, nurses, hospitals, insurers, etc.).

5.   Who appointed the Commission?

The Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Governor appointed 6 each, two in each category (consumers, purchasers, and experts/business leaders) (18 total); the House Minority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader appointed 3 each (one in each category) (6 total).  The Commission was designed and intended to work in a non-partisan manner.

6.   What are the Commission's working timeline and specific deliverables?

The Commission will solicit, examine, and evaluate health care reform proposals, selecting the top few (3 to 5) for in-depth technical assessment by an independent contractor.  The Commission will hold meetings around the state to get broad based public and expert input.  It will complete a final report with recommendations to the General Assembly by January 31, 2008.

7.   How is the Commission staffed?
The law provides for three different types of staff. They include a Project Coordinator whose main function is to coordinate project objectives, timelines, and activities between the project administrator, the General Assembly and interested persons; a Project Administrator, whose function is to provide analytical expertise to the Commission; and an Independent Consultant who is responsible for modeling the effects of 3-5 selected proposals on factors such as cost, coverage, and utilization.