Colorado 2023 2023 Regular Session

Colorado House Bill HB1226 Introduced / Fiscal Note

Filed 07/28/2023

                    Page 1 
July 28, 2023  HB 23-1226  
 
 
Legislative Council Staff 
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature 
 
Final Fiscal Note  
   
 
Drafting Number: 
Prime Sponsors: 
LLS 23-0720  
Rep. Soper;  
deGruy Kennedy 
Sen. Roberts; Will  
Date: 
Bill Status: 
Fiscal Analyst: 
July 28, 2023 
Signed into Law 
Kristine McLaughlin | 303-866-4776 
kristine.mclaughlin@coleg.gov  
Bill Topic: HOSPITAL TRANSPARENCY & REPORTING REQUIREMENTS  
Summary of  
Fiscal Impact: 
☒ State Revenue 
☒ State Expenditure 
☐ State Transfer 
☐ TABOR Refund 
☐ Local Government 
☐ Statutory Public Entity 
 
The bill adds information to be disclosed by hospitals for the hospital expenditure 
report and allows the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to enforce data 
collection procedures through fines. The bill also places disclosure requirements on 
hospitals. The bill increases state expenditures and may increase state revenue on an 
ongoing basis. 
Appropriation 
Summary: 
For FY 2023-24, the bill requires and includes an appropriation of $150,332 to the 
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. 
Fiscal Note 
Status: 
The fiscal note reflects the enacted bill. 
 
 
Table 1 
State Fiscal Impacts Under HB 23-1226 
 
  
Budget Year 
FY 2023-24 
Out Year 
FY 2024-25 
Revenue 
 
-       	-       
Expenditures 	Cash Funds 	$75,166  	$82,169  
 	Federal Funds 	$75,166  	$82,168  
 	Centrally Appropriated 	$31,345  	$37,175  
 	Total Expenditures 	$181,677  	$201,512  
 	Total FTE 	1.7 FTE 	2.0 FTE 
Transfers  	-       	-       
Other Budget Impacts  	-       	-       
 
 
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July 28, 2023  HB 23-1226  
 
 
Summary of Legislation 
The bill requires hospitals to disclose additional information for the purposes of the hospital 
expenditure report, which the bill renames the hospital transparency report, produced by the 
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).  The new reporting requirements include 
details on specific revenue and expenditure streams, including historical data. HCPF may enforce data 
collection procedures through corrective action plans or fines. Where HCPF determines a hospital’s 
noncompliance is knowing or willful or there is a repeated pattern of noncompliance, HCPF may set 
a fine amount up to $20,000 per week until the hospital takes corrective action. 
 
Additionally, beginning July 1, 2024, the bill requires hospitals to provide patients with a plain 
language description of the services billed and disclose that the patient has the right to further billed 
services information. 
Background 
In its 2023 hospital expenditure report, HCPF recommended that the legislature consider establishing 
corrective action and financial penalties for hospital noncompliance with reporting requirements.
 
 
State Revenue 
Beginning in FY 2023-24, the bill may increase state revenue from fines, credited to the General Fund.  
This revenue is classified as a damage award and not subject to TABOR. Given the uncertainty about 
the number of violations and the potential penalty amounts, the revenue impact cannot be estimated.  
State Expenditures 
The bill increases state expenditures in the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) 
by $180,000 in FY 2023-24 and $200,000 in FY 2024-25, split evenly between the Healthcare 
Affordability and Sustainability (HAS) Cash Fund and federal funds.  Expenditures are shown in 
Table 2 and detailed below. 
 
Table 2 
Expenditures Under HB 23-1226 
 
 	FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing   
Personal Services 	$134,697  $161,637  
Operating Expenses 	$2,295  $2,700  
Capital Outlay Costs 	$13,340  	-        
Centrally Appropriated Costs
1
 	$31,345  $37,175  
Total Cost $181,677  $201,512  
Total FTE 1.7 FTE 2.0 FTE 
1
 Centrally appropriated costs are not included in the bill's appropriation. 
     Page 3 
July 28, 2023  HB 23-1226  
 
 
Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.  HCPF requires 2.0 FTE to ensure compliance and 
incorporate the new data into the report.  Based on noncompliance with current reporting, examining 
the data that hospitals submit for compliance with the current and the expanded requirements and 
implementing a corrective action plan is expected to be a complex process.  Additionally, the newly 
required data is more granular than the current data and will require time and expertise to aggregate 
to a level appropriate for the report.  
 
The state-share of the FTE costs will be funded by the HAS Cash Fund, because this bill concerns data 
and analysis to measure the efficacy of the HAS fee, cost shift, and Hospital Transformation Program. 
Standard operating and capital outlay costs are included, and costs in FY 2023-24 are prorated to 
reflect the bill’s effective date. 
 
Centrally appropriated costs.  Pursuant to a Joint Budget Committee policy, certain costs associated 
with this bill are addressed through the annual budget process and centrally appropriated in the Long 
Bill or supplemental appropriations bills, rather than in this bill.  These costs, which include employee 
insurance and supplemental employee retirement payments, are shown in Table 2. 
Effective Date 
The bill was signed into law by the Governor on June 2, 2023, and takes effect on August 7, 2023, 
assuming no referendum petition is filed. 
State Appropriations 
For FY 2023-24, the bill requires and includes an appropriation of $150,332 split evenly between 
Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Cash Funds and federal funds, to the Department of 
Health Care Policy and Financing, and 1.7 FTE. 
State and Local Government Contacts 
Health Care Policy and Financing  Public Health and Environment 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each 
fiscal year.  For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit:  leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.