Colorado Code § 10-16-1205

Health insurance affordability fee - special assessment on hospitals - allocation of revenues
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(1) (a) (I) Starting in the 2021 calendar year, the enterprise shall assess
and collect from carriers, by July 15 each year, a health insurance affordability fee. The fee
amount is based on the following percentages of premiums collected by the following carriers in
the immediately preceding calendar year on health benefit plans issued in the state:
(A) One and fifteen hundredths percent of premiums collected by nonprofit carriers; and
(B) Two and one-tenth percent of premiums collected by for-profit carriers.
(II) For the 2022 and 2023 calendar years, the enterprise shall assess and collect from
hospitals a special assessment of twenty million dollars per year, subject to subsection (5) of this
section. The enterprise shall not collect the special assessment for the 2022 calendar year before
October 1, 2022.
(b) The enterprise shall use the fee, the special assessment on hospitals, and any other
money available in the fund as follows, allocated in accordance with subsection (2) of this
section:
(I) To provide funding for the reinsurance program;
(II) To provide payments to carriers to increase the affordability of health insurance on
the individual market for Coloradans who receive the premium tax credit;
(III) To provide subsidies for state-subsidized individual health coverage plans
purchased by qualified individuals;
(IV) To pay the actual administrative costs of the enterprise for implementing and
administering this part 12, limited to three percent of the enterprise's revenues. Actual
administrative costs include the following:
(A) The administrative costs of the enterprise, including the costs to implement and
administer the programs established pursuant to this part 12;
(B) The enterprise's actual costs related to implementing and maintaining the fee and
special assessment on hospitals, including personal services and operating expenses; and
(C) The costs for conducting analyses necessary to determine the payments to be made
to carriers for the purposes described in subsection (1)(b)(II) of this section and the requirements
for state-subsidized individual health coverage plans offered by carriers; and
(V) To pay the costs for consumer enrollment, outreach, and education activities
regarding health care coverage, including:
(A) Increasing grants to the exchange's certified assistance network;
(B) Marketing for the exchange;
(C) Grants to community-based organizations that are able to assist with outreach and
enrollment, particularly in communities that face the greatest barriers to enrolling in health care
coverage; and
(D) Improving the connection between unemployment services and enrollment in health
care coverage.
(c) This subsection (1) does not apply to plans or benefits provided under medicaid,
medicare, or the children's basic health plan.
(2) (a) The enterprise shall transmit the fees and special assessments collected pursuant
to this section to the state treasurer for deposit in the health insurance affordability cash fund
created in section 10-16-1206 and, except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, shall
allocate the money in the fund in accordance with this subsection (2).
(b) The enterprise shall allocate the revenues collected in 2021, and any other money
deposited in the fund in 2021, as follows:
(I) Up to three percent for actual administrative costs as set forth in subsection (1)(b)(IV)
of this section;
(II) To the reinsurance program cash fund, an amount necessary to fund the payment
parameters of the reinsurance program, as determined pursuant to section 10-16-1105 (2), not to
exceed ninety million dollars or, if the revenues collected pursuant to subsection (1)(a) of this
section are less than ninety million dollars, the amount collected; and
(III) Of any remaining balance in the fund after deducting the allocations specified in
subsections (2)(b)(I) and (2)(b)(II) of this section:
(A) Up to one percent of the total amount of revenues collected or deposited into the
fund in 2021, but not more than one million five hundred thousand dollars, for implementation
costs and consumer enrollment, outreach, and education activities regarding health care coverage
as described in subsection (1)(b)(V) of this section; and
(B) The remaining balance to carriers to reduce the costs of individual health plans for
individuals who purchase an individual health benefit plan on the exchange and receive the
premium tax credit.
(c) The enterprise shall allocate the revenues collected in 2022, and any other money
deposited in the fund in 2022, as follows:
(I) Up to three percent for actual administrative costs as set forth in subsection (1)(b)(IV)
of this section;
(II) To the reinsurance program cash fund, eighty-eight million dollars; and
(III) Of the remaining balance in the fund after deducting the allocations specified in
subsections (2)(c)(I) and (2)(c)(II) of this section:
(A) Thirty percent to carriers to reduce the costs of individual health plans for
individuals who purchase an individual health benefit plan on the exchange and receive the
premium tax credit; and
(B) Seventy percent for subsidies for state-subsidized individual health coverage plans
purchased by qualified individuals.
(d) (I) The enterprise shall allocate the revenues collected in 2023 and each year
thereafter, and any other money deposited in the fund in 2023 and each year thereafter, in the
following amounts and order of priority:
(A) First, up to three percent for actual administrative costs as set forth in subsection
(1)(b)(IV) of this section;
(B) Second, eighteen million dollars for subsidies for state-subsidized individual health
coverage plans purchased by qualified individuals;
(C) Third, the amount remaining in the fund, up to seventy-three percent of the total
amount of revenues collected or deposited into the fund in the applicable year, but not to exceed
ninety million dollars, to the reinsurance program cash fund; and
(D) Fourth, ten percent of the total amount of revenues collected or deposited into the
fund in the applicable year or the amount remaining in the fund, whichever is less, to carriers to
reduce the costs of individual health plans for individuals who purchase an individual health
benefit plan on the exchange and receive the premium tax credit.
(II) If, after making the allocations specified in subsection (2)(d)(I) of this section, there
is money remaining in the fund in the applicable year, the enterprise shall allocate the remaining
money for subsidies for state-subsidized individual health coverage plans purchased by qualified
individuals.
(III) Notwithstanding subsections (2)(d)(I) and (2)(d)(II) of this section, if the approval
of the demonstration waiver received pursuant to section 25.5-4-503 (2) sets conditions on the
use of the money received, the enterprise shall allocate the money received pursuant to section
25.5-4-503 (2) as set forth in the approval. If the approval does not set conditions on the use of
money received, the enterprise shall allocate the money in the manner set forth in subsections
(2)(d)(I) and (2)(d)(II) of this section.
(3) The enterprise shall distribute the allocations specified in subsection (2) of this
section in accordance with the requirements determined by the board pursuant to section 10-16-
1207 (4).
(4) If the commissioner, pursuant to section 10-16-1107 (4), notifies the board that the
reinsurance program will receive federal funding pursuant to a federal reinsurance program or
other federal financial assistance for the reinsurance program that is in excess of federal pass-
through funding received pursuant to section 10-16-1107 (1)(a)(I), the enterprise may eliminate
or reduce the amount of enterprise revenues allocated to the reinsurance program pursuant to
subsection (2) of this section based on the amount of federal funding the reinsurance program
receives, as indicated in the commissioner's notice, and shall reallocate the portion of the
enterprise revenues no longer allocated to the reinsurance program to the other purposes
specified in subsection (2) of this section in accordance with that subsection (2).
(5) (a) The special assessments on hospitals under subsection (1)(a)(II) of this section
must comply with and not violate 42 CFR 433.68. If the federal centers for medicare and
medicaid services in the United States department of health and human services informs the state
that the state will not be in compliance with 42 CFR 433.68 as a result of the special assessment
on hospitals pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(II) of this section, the enterprise shall reduce the
amount of the special assessment as necessary to avoid any reduction in the healthcare
affordability and sustainability fee collected pursuant to section 25.5-4-402.4.
(b) A hospital shall pay the special assessment imposed pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(II)
of this section from its general revenues and is prohibited from:
(I) Collecting an assessment from consumers as any type of surcharge on its fees;
(II) Passing the special assessment on to consumers as any type of increase to fees or
charges for services; or
(III) Otherwise passing the special assessment on to consumers in any manner.

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