CCLP logo       
Colorado news roundup
The weekday Colorado news roundup is a collection of links to news reports and other resources of interest to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. Listing does not imply endorsement of the content.

Manage your e-mail subscriptions
You can select the types of e-mail you receive from the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, or unsubscribe, by clicking the link at the bottom of this message labeled "Update Profile/Email address." A full description of e-mail offerings is on our website.

Donate to CCLP
The Colorado Center on Law and Policy relies on contributions from people like you to continue its work. Click the image below to donate. 

Donate now through givingfirst.org     
Visit us on Twitter,
@cofiscalpolicy or @cclpjusthealth, on our Facebook page, and at the Policy Matters blog.

-------------------------------
Other news summaries

Grasscatcher, from the National Conference of State Legislatures

Today's Health News, from The Colorado Trust

Colorado daily news roundup, from Stateline

Daily Health Policy Report, from Kaiser Health News

Proposal would limit financial pain on Colorado's medically uninsured

Health care
The Denver Post: Proposal at Capitol today limits financial pain on Colorado's medically uninsured
Proponents, backed by sharply rising medical-related bankruptcies, say Colorado hospitals are gouging the uninsured who don't have big insurers to negotiate discounts for their care. They claim some hospitals are charging patients nearly 600 percent of their costs, and that it's the poorest and most vulnerable who see the highest bills. Editor's note: The measure, Senate Bill 12-134, is backed by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy. Find the latest updates at our Hospital Payment Assistance Program action center.
Also: KCFR-radio: Colorado Senator Wants to Limit Hospital Bills

The Colorado Independent: Coloradans starting to see benefit of Health Care Reform
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the Affordable Care Act provided approximately 973,000 Colorado residents with at least one new free preventive service in 2011 through their private health insurance plans.


Fiscal policy
The Denver Post: Judge questions precedent cited to defend Colorado's TABOR
U.S. District Judge William Martinez - while not ruling Wednesday - disagreed with key arguments presented by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers' office in its defense of TABOR. Martinez flatly opposed the notion that a century-old Oregon decision settled issues around the present-day case.
Also: Associated Press via Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado seeks to squash tax limit challenge
Also: The Durango Herald: Is our state government illegal?


Family economic security
Denver Post commentary: Unfair use of credit checks on job seekers
Job-seekers beware - whether you're applying to do maintenance work in Denver, telephone tech support in Littleton, plumbing in Fort Collins, work as a home care aide in Aurora, or even just scoop frozen yogurt in Colorado Springs - there's one qualification you'll need regardless of your skills or ability to do the job: good credit.
Also: Associated Press via Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Credit checks could be limited for some Colo. jobs


Jobs and economic security
Associated Press via The Denver Post: Colorado foreclosure filings, sales drop in January
The number of foreclosure filings in large Colorado counties continues to decline. A state report released on Thursday show both foreclosure filings and sales were down last month compared with January 2011. Sales were down 23.3 percent and filings dropped by 28.2 percent.
Also: Denver Business Journal: Colorado foreclosure decline continues

Pueblo Chieftain editorial: Unemployment fraud
State Rep. Keith Swerdfeger, R-Pueblo West, wants more oversight on how these payments are made. He's sponsoring House Bill 1120, which would reorganize existing personnel of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to create an unemployment insurance division that would keep closer watch on how benefits are doled out.


The national scene
Kaiser Health News: Preview: The 'Very Big Deal' - SCOTUS Takes On The Health Law
In just over 5 weeks, the Supreme Court will hear challenges and defenses of the 2010 Affordable Care Act - the federal health reform law. In part one of two conversations about the case, Jackie Judd talks with Stuart Taylor, an attorney and contributing editor for the National Journal, about why these cases are so significant. Taylor says it's been 56 years since the court has spent so much time hearing cases on a single law. There are tens of thousands of pages of briefs on the law's requirements that individuals buy health insurance or pay a fine and that Medicaid expand to cover millions of uninsured Americans.

The Washington Post: Negotiators reach deal; vote expected soon on $150B economic package
Congressional negotiators gave final approval early Thursday to an economic plan worth more than $150 billion that would extend a payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits.


Think tanks
CLASP: President Proposes New Investments in America's Workforce
Given that low-income, low-skill workers have been hard hit by the recent recession, President Obama's proposal to make substantial new short-term investments in education and training leading to a job is a wise investment for workers and the nation.

The Urban Institute: The Impact of Temporary Assistance Programs on Disability Rolls and Re-Employment
Unemployed workers participate in various temporary assistance programs. They are also more likely to apply for Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), growing programs with large costs. Temporary benefits can both increase and decrease probabilities of re-employment and application for DI/SSI. When controlling for selection bias, we find evidence that increased access to unemployment benefits reduces applications for DI, while increased access to food benefits increases applications for SSI. These results suggest that applications for DI/SSI are sensitive to participation in temporary assistance programs, and that increased access to unemployment is less costly than it may appear.