Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Committee clarifies statute to fix ambiguity in self‑pay medical estimate limits
Loading...
Summary
SRC approved a draft to fix drafting errors that made the statute read as if the final cost of care could never exceed $400; the draft aligns Colorado statute with the federal No Surprises Act’s $400/15% threshold.
The Statutory Revision Committee approved a draft to correct drafting errors in the state self‑pay medical estimate statute so it reads as intended: the final cost may not exceed the patient’s self‑pay estimate by more than 15 percent or $400, whichever is less.
The Office of Legislative Legal Services explained that an amendment inserted the phrase “or $400, whichever is less” in a place that produced an absurd result — the text could be read to cap the total allowed charge at $400 for many services. The drafter said the proposed change clarifies that the $400 qualifier applies to the allowable increase over the estimate, not to the overall cost of care.
Jeff Reester of the Department of Law supported the correction and said the department is not seeing current problems in practice but called the statutory language confusing. Vice Chair Rich moved the draft as amended and the committee approved introduction with no objection; sponsors were assigned and the committee signaled it will start the bill in the House.
