Polis Expresses Commitment To Save Coloradans Money In Health Care Costs

(CBS4) - During Gov. Jared Polis' 2022 State of the State address Thursday, a major focus during his speech was saving Coloradans money and further saving money in health care costs.

"If it isn't clear, saving Coloradans money and keeping our state affordable is my top priority [legislative] session," Polis said. "And one of the biggest areas to save people money is health care."

As part of savings in general and health costs, Polis is proposing further reduction of fees such as the unemployment insurance premium and the Paid Family and Medical Leave premium, which he says would result in hundreds of millions in savings for businesses and workers.

"Thanks to the efforts of Representative McCluskie, Representative Rich, Senator Donovan, Senator Rankin, we created a reinsurance program which has successfully reduced health premiums on the individual market by 24% average, saving Coloradans an average of $1,400 per year, and an average of $2,450 per year on the Western Slope, which has been one of the highest-cost markets, Polis said.

Polis also thanked state Rep. Dylan Roberts for being behind the effort to cap "the skyrocketing cost of insulin" at $100 per month.

During the beginning of Polis' governorship, he and his administration formed the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care. During State of the State he boasted it has been a collaboration with legislators and health care providers resulting in nation-leading efforts to reduce health-care costs.