Polis Submits Comments Supporting Premium Reductions for Mountain Region Residents

Press Release

Representative Jared Polis (CO-02) today submitted comments to the Colorado Department of Insurance on proposed changes to the state's geographic rating system under the Affordable Care Act. Currently, Summit, Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties are being charged the highest health insurance premiums in the nation, in an area known as the "Resort Region."

The proposed changes would create seven regions based on metropolitan areas and two rural regions, lowering costs for the current "resort region" counties.

"The high premiums that residents of mountain communities have faced -- the highest in the nation according to a Kaiser Family Foundation Study -- run counter to the spirit of the Affordable Care Act, threaten to deprive individuals of badly needed medical care, and unfairly penalize families for choosing to make their home in our state's beautiful resort region," wrote Representative Polis. "I believe this proposal is a significant step toward providing all Coloradans who purchase coverage through our state's health insurance marketplace with access to high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs and the needs of their families."

Representative Polis' full comments are below:

I write to express my support for the Division of Insurance's proposal to address the unacceptable health insurance costs for Coloradans residing in Rating Area 11 by merging the Resort Region with the West Region and reducing the number of rating areas from 11 to nine. I am hopeful that this change will bring down the staggering premiums that residents of Summit, Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin Counties are currently being forced to pay and allow Coloradans who live in mountain communities to take advantage of the same affordable rates for health care that their neighbors in Grand and Lake Counties already enjoy.

The high premiums that residents of mountain communities have faced -- the highest in the nation according to a Kaiser Family Foundation Study -- run counter to the spirit of the Affordable Care Act, threaten to deprive individuals of badly needed medical care, and unfairly penalize families for choosing to make their home in our state's beautiful resort region. I am pleased that the DOI is taking action to address this disparity, and I believe this proposal is a significant step toward providing all Coloradans who purchase coverage through our state's health insurance marketplace with access to high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs and the needs of their families. In addition, since the DOI's proposal takes effect on January 1, 2015, it will spare residents of the Resort Region another year of choosing between paying impossibly high rates for health coverage and foregoing coverage entirely.

I commend the DOI for its tireless work to implement the Affordable Care Act, and for proposing a solution that will lower costs for the thousands of residents in Summit, Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin Counties who have not yet been able to enjoy its benefits.

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