(1) The general assembly, through the exercise of its powers to protect the health, peace, safety, and general welfare of the people of Colorado, hereby finds that: (a) Health insurance coverage has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on people's health outcomes as well as their financial security and well-being; (b) Ensuring that all people have access to affordable, quality, continuous, and equitable health care is a challenge that public officials and policy experts have faced for decades despite seemingly constant efforts to address the issue; (c) Although great strides have been made in increasing access to health-care coverage through federal and state legislation, not enough has been accomplished to address the affordability of health insurance in Colorado, particularly in the state's rural areas and for Coloradans who have historically and systemically faced barriers to health, including people of color, immigrants, and Coloradans with low incomes; (d) The health-care system is a complex system wherein consumers rely on health insurance carriers to negotiate the rates paid to health-care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals for services provided and expect that the negotiated rates are closely tied to the amount of the health insurance premiums paid; (e) Despite efforts to address access to and affordability of health care, underlying health-care costs continue to rise, thus driving up the costs of health insurance premiums, often at disproportionate rates in rural areas of the state; and (f) In order to ensure that health insurance is affordable for Coloradans, it is critical that the state establish a standardized plan for carriers to offer in the state and set premium reduction targets for carriers to achieve.
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