Some lawmakers want Coloradans to pay hundreds more in fees to fund health insurance for non-citizens

A bill at the Colorado State Capitol would double a fee assessed on state-regulated health insurance plans, with most of the money going to a program that helps non-citizens afford health insurance. The program, OmniSalud, receives about $18 million a year in fees now to help about 12,000 non-citizens.

Under House Bill 1297, the funding would jump to nearly $75 million.

“No fee is free, right?” says Kevin McFatridge, CEO of the Colorado Association of Health Plans. “Someone has to pay for those fees, and unfortunately, it’s going to go to Colorado families.” 

He says the bill would cost a family of four up to $100 more in fees each month, or $1,200 per year.

The legislation also allocates $19 million to cover subsidies to offset insurance for low-income Coloradans, $12 million for reproductive and gender affirming care, and $6.5 million for an existing state enterprise to administer the program, which is double what it receives now.

While OmniSalud would see a $56 million increase under the measure, a program that has helped reduce premiums 20%-40% for Colorado families would receive $12 million less in fee revenue. The Reinsurance program receives about $87 million now. It would receive $75 million – the same as OmniSalud – under the bill.

“We want to be a society that has a heart but, when you have the citizens and taxpayers here that are suffering and we’re not taking care of them but, we’re going to help take care of somebody who came here illegally, I have a problem with that,” says Representative Anthony Hartsook, a republican from Parker who opposes the bill.

Democratic Representative Kyle Brown, who’s sponsoring the measure, says it’s aimed at offsetting cuts in federal funding. 

If it fails, he says, rates will jump by up to $6-thousand a year for a family of four, “It’s important that we are providing health care for folks regardless of their documentation, regardless of whether they are citizens, because they end up in the emergency room too… and we all end up paying for it one way or another.” 

The bill is stalled in the House Finance Committee with less than two weeks left in the legislative session. Supporters are considering an amendment to give Reinsurance more of the fee revenue.