Colorado committee advances bill to preserve no‑cost preventive care if federal guidance changes

Senate Bill 25‑196, a bill intended to preserve Colorado residents’ access to no‑cost preventive health services, was advanced to the Committee of the Whole after a 9‑4 vote by the House Health & Human Services Committee on an unspecified date.

The measure would require insurers to cover preventive services that are in effect as of January 2025 and would let the Division of Insurance adopt rules to modify coverage based on recommendations from a Colorado Nurse Physician Advisory Task Force if the federal expert bodies that currently set preventive service standards are altered or no longer provide guidance.

Sponsors told the committee the bill is designed to maintain the status quo for Coloradans amid uncertainty at the federal level. “We are trying to be proactive in maintaining the current level of preventative care that each and every one of us are experiencing,” Representative Jackson said. The sponsors said the bill would keep services stable if federal advisory groups change, and would also allow Colorado clinicians to update recommendations “based on science and evidence.”

Supporters said federal uncertainty makes state action prudent. Eric Waskowitz, senior policy manager at United…