HB 18-1438

HB 18-1438, also known as the "Health Care Coverage Reproductive Health Care" bill in Colorado, ensures that health insurance plans cover reproductive health services like birth control and abortion without additional costs or delays. It applies to individual and group health plans starting January 1, 2020, and includes protections against discrimination based on factors such as race, gender identity, and religion. The bill also expands Medicaid coverage for reproductive health care services to eligible individuals, including those who are undocumented, and extends post-pregnancy benefits for up to six months after giving birth. Since the status is "signed," this means that the governor has approved the bill, making its provisions law in Colorado.

Official Summary

Section 2 of the bill requires all individual and group health benefit plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, to provide coverage for specified reproductive health care services, drugs, devices, products, and procedures. Carriers are prohibited from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other cost-sharing requirement for the coverage required under the bill and from imposing restrictions or delays on the coverage. Under specified circumstances, section 2 permits a carrier to offer a religious employer a plan that does not include coverage for abortion procedures that are contrary to the religious employer's religious tenets. Section 2 also prohibits a carrier from excluding an individual from participation in, denying an individual benefits under, or otherwise discriminating against an individual in the administration of a plan on the basis of the individual's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, or disability. Section 4 directs the department of health care policy and financing to administer a program to reimburse the cost of specified reproductive health care services, drugs, devices, products, and procedures provided to eligible individuals, which is defined to include individuals with reproductive health care needs who are enrolled in the medicaid program or the children's basic health plan or who are otherwise disqualified for participation in the medicaid program based on their immigration status. The program must also provide medicaid or children's basic health plan benefits, as applicable, to pregnant individuals for 180 days, rather than the mandated 60 days, post-pregnancy, regardless of whether the individual's medicaid or children's basic health plan eligibility would otherwise terminate during that period based on an increase in income. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More

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