Committee advances two CHASE board appointees; members cite role of hospital provider fee

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee recommended forwarding two nominees to the Colorado Health Care Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) board to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.

Nancy Dolson, special financing division director at the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, introduced Doctor Kimberly Jackson and Margo Carson for the CHASE board. Dolson told the committee the CHASE board oversees the hospital provider fee program; "Through that hospital provider fee, we increase reimbursement to our Colorado hospitals for care provided to uninsured patients and Medicaid members by more than $450,000,000 each year," she said, and that the fee supports health coverage for more than 420,000 Coloradans through Medicaid and CHP+ expansions.

Doctor Kimberly Jackson, who serves on the board representing people with disabilities and as vice chair, said she uses Medicaid services herself and described how the fee supports Colorado’s buy-in program that helps adults with disabilities work while maintaining Medicaid coverage. Margo Carson, identified as western region president for Banner Health, described nearly three decades of clinical and executive healthcare experience and said she aims to bring collaborative, consensus-building leadership to the board.

A committee member moved to forward the nominations to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation and to place the confirmations on the consent calendar. The motion carried unanimously.

Why it matters: The CHASE board advises on the hospital provider fee and related payment models; the fee is a major financing tool that increases hospital reimbursements and supports Medicaid expansion in Colorado.

What’s next: The committee forwarded the nominations to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation; final confirmation will occur in the full Senate.