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Dan Pilcher CACI Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
E-Mail: dpilcher@COchamber.com
Friday, September 30, 2011
Health Exchange Federal Grant Application Hits Political Roadblock
In the article today on the Web site of The Denver Post, “Colorado GOP stalls application for federal grant to set up health insurance exchange,” statehouse reporter Tim Hoover explores the politics and issues surrounding the proposed application to the Federal Government for $22 million in funds to establish the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange (COHBE), which is due today but will not be submitted.
On Monday, the Exchange Board met to: · Finalize the language of the application for the Federal Level 1 Grant; · Discuss updates on the progress of the development of Board by-laws; and · Determine comments to the proposed rules on state exchanges by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The Board made final deliberations on the language of the application for the Federal Level 1 grant to establish state exchanges, and unanimously voted to have the Board Chair, Gretchen Hammer, present the application to the Colorado Legislative Health Exchange Implementation Review Committee Chair, Senator Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood), and Vice-Chair, Bob Gardner (R-Colorado Springs) for discussion.
Although the grant application has a deadline of today, it has a final submission deadline of December 30, 2011. Joan Henneberry, COHBE Planning Director, in past meetings has told the Board that the Exchange will run out of funding before the end of this year and, therefore, it is necessary that the Board meet the September submission date.
Colorado law requires that the Exchange must have the legislative Committee’s approval of any application for federal grants. According to SB-200, the COHBE Board Chair, the Committee Chair and the Committee Vice-Chair must meet to discuss the details of an application for federal grant dollars. If there is no agreement, then the issue must be taken up by the full Committee for a vote. On Wednesday, Gretchen Hammer released a statement that there had been no agreement among Senator Boyd, Representative Gardner and herself and that the application would move to the full Committee.
In a statement regarding the Exchange grant application, the Republican House Majority Office published a press release indicating that Republicans on the Committee would not support the application as written:
“This over-reaching proposal is a precise example of why House Republicans fought so hard for legislative oversight of Colorado’s Health Benefit Exchange,” said state Rep. Jim Kerr, R-Littleton. “This current application would push Colorado into a one-size-fits-all mandate from Washington. Colorado needs Colorado-specific solutions to meet our Colorado-specific needs. That’s why we created a health benefit exchange to fit the unique needs of Colorado and to protect Coloradans from an out-of-control Washington, D.C., bureaucracy.”
As of today, no date has been set for the next Committee meeting.
On Monday, Dan Anglin, CACI Governmental Affairs Representative, presented the Board with copies of the document prepared by the CACI HealthCare Council that will be sent to HHS regarding the proposed rules on state exchanges. Dan summarized the document for the Board, requesting that “the Board consider the intent and spirit of SB-200 to increase access, affordability, and choice for individuals and small employers purchasing health insurance when making recommendations for HHS rules or considering policy implementation within Colorado.”
For more information about the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange or other health policy issues, contact Dan Anglin, 303.866.9641.
AngloGold Ashanti N.A. and MillerCoors Are Top Sponsors for CACI’s 46th Annual Meeting Luncheon
The featured guest speaker at CACI’s 46th Annual Meeting Luncheon will be Tom Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with which CACI is affiliated.
The Luncheon
will be held Thursday, October 27th,
in the Grand
Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Registration
will begin at 11:30 a.m., and the luncheon program will begin at 12:00 noon and
end at 1:30 p.m.
The Gold Sponsors are:
The Silver Sponsors are: · Ball Corporation · Bank of Colorado · Charles Schwab · Climax Molybdenum · EKS&H · GlaxoSmithKline · HealthONE · Lockheed Martin · McLane Company · Pinnacol Assurance · Suncor Energy · The Boeing Company · Wells Fargo
The Table Sponsors are: · AAA of Colorado · BKD CPAs and Advisors, LLP · CenturyLink · Citywide Banks · Dufford and Brown, P.C. · Eastman Kodak Company · Golden Aluminum · IBM · Miller International, Inc. · New Vista Image · Regis University · Stolle Machinery Company, LLC · Tri-State Generation and Transmission · Xcel Energy
Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to Address CACI Labor and Employment Council
On Wednesday, October 12th, Ellen Golombek, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, will meet with the CACI Labor and Employment Council to discuss, among other things, various issues surrounding the state’s unemployment insurance fund and benefit system. The luncheon meeting will be held from 12 Noon to 1:15 p.m.
CACI has asked Director Golombek to discuss such issues as: · An update on the Colorado unemployment rate and unemployment-insurance benefit claims;
Three other CACI councils will also be meeting this autumn, each with important guest speakers from the Administration of Governor John Hickenlooper. The Council meetings will provide CACI members with the chance to hear from representatives of various executive-branch agencies and offices about their view of issues that are important to the business community as well as possible legislation that the Hickenlooper Administration may advocate during the 2012 session of the Colorado General Assembly.
In addition, the CACI Council meetings are a two-way street because the Administration officials also have the opportunity to hear from CACI members about business concerns on both the regulatory front and the 2012 legislative front.
Unless otherwise noted, meetings begin at 12 Noon and end no later than 1:30 p.m. CACI members who are interested in sponsoring lunches at these Council meetings should contact Misty Lucero, CACI Office Manager.
CACI Schedules Legislative Tour of Walker Mowers in Fort Collins
CACI has scheduled a legislative tour on October 11th at CACI member Walker Mowers in Fort Collins. Company founder Max Walker passed away September 19th. The Fort Collins Coloradoan carried his obituary.
Here’s a description of the family-owned company today from its Web site:
During the 1990's Max Walker gradually turned the control of daily operations over to Bob, who oversees the business and marketing areas of the company, and Dean, who oversees product development and manufacturing operations. The Walker family maintains 100% ownership of the company and is carefully planning for the younger generation of Walkers to carry on the business. The Walker Mower is distributed throughout the United States and into 28 other countries. Over the years, Walker has been blessed to know thousands of people (suppliers, distributors/dealers, employees and customers), and we are amazed how something like a lawn mower can bring so many people together and multiply so many opportunities for families.
The Walker Mowers visit is a part of CACI’s outreach initiative this fall and past summer to introduce legislators to CACI members through visits to the companies to learn about the challenges facing businesses and how state laws and regulations affect their operations. The second component of the CACI effort involves CACI staff traveling around the state to speak about the legislative session to local chambers of commerce and meet with CACI members.
Attention CACI Members: U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Hold Two Events in Colorado on Federal Issues
On October 11th and 12th, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with which CACI is affiliated, will hold two meetings in Colorado to discuss important federal issues with Colorado businesspeople. U.S. Chamber staff experts will cover such topics as federal spending, health care, energy policy and job creation. CACI is sponsoring the events.
The first meeting will be held at 8 a.m. in Grand Junction at the Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main Street, and the registration fee is $15. This event is co-sponsored by the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce.
The second event on October 12th will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Tech Center, 7675 East Union Avenue, Denver. The cost is $300 for a table of eight or $20 per person. The co-sponsors are the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, the Highlands Ranch Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Glendale Chamber of Commerce and the Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce.
To register for either event, click here. The local chambers are CACI members.
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