Colorado Healthcare Payment System Analysis
Overview
During its 2025 regular session, the Colorado General Assembly commissioned the Colorado Healthcare Payment System Analysis (HPSA), a research initiative at the Colorado School of Public Health's Department of Health Systems, Management, and Policy, to conduct a new study that will analyze options for implementing a universal healthcare payment system that ensures access to high-quality care for all Coloradans.
Authorized by Senate Bill 25-045 at the school, HPSA will study the implementation and impact of a statewide universal health-care payment system for Colorado, including the system’s overall costs, financing mechanisms, payment policies, and its impact on patients, healthcare providers, employers, rural communities, the statewide economy, and the public’s health.Who We Are & What We Do
The Health Systems, Management, and Policy Department is a team of health services researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Our research explores how the U.S. healthcare system functions and what can be done to improve outcomes and control costs.
SB 25-045 charges the School with: (1) analyzing draft model legislation for implementing a single-payer healthcare payment system in Colorado; and (2) exploring other reforms that would achieve universal healthcare in Colorado.
HPSA will utilize rich Colorado-specific data sources and employ state-of-the-art statistical and econometric analysis methods to produce reliable scientific evidence for Colorado’s legislature and the people it serves. SB 25-045 also authorizes an advisory body, the Statewide Healthcare Analysis Collaborative, to advise the school in conducting the HPSA study.
Project Leadership & Team
- Research Team: Drs. Cathy Bradley, Glen Mays, Beth McManus, and Greg Tung
- Research Assistant: Robert McGowan
- Project Operations, Legal, and Administration: Travis Leiker
Opportunities to Engage
As the HPSA study gets underway, this website will share research plans, progress reports, and opportunities for the public to provide input, ideas and feedback.
For more information about this project and how to support financially, please contact Travis Leiker, Assistant Dean of External Relations and Strategic Initiatives, at Travis.Leiker@cuanschutz.edu or call 303.817.5744.
Draft Model Legislation
Pursuant to Senate Bill 25-045, the Colorado Foundation for Universal Health Care has drafted model legislation for implementing a single-payer, nonprofit, publicly financed, and privately delivered universal healthcare payment system for Colorado. The HPSA study will analyze this model legislation as one option for achieving a universal healthcare system, and compare it with alternative options for achieving universal healthcare.
To ensure objectivity, this model legislation was developed independently by the Colorado Foundation for Universal Health Care and it does not necessarily represent the views and recommendations of the Colorado School of Public Health, the Colorado General Assembly, the Statewide Healthcare Analysis Collaborative, or others involved in the HPSA study.Latest Reports
- July 2025: Draft model legislation has been identified and pursuant to SB 24-045, the content has been posted in order to meet the July 1, 2025, deadline. In addition, individuals and organizations are stepping up to support the Colorado School of Public Health and its newly established Health Payment System Analysis (HPSA) study, with $25,500 in initial funds secured to cover immediate project startup costs including administrative needs, website development, legal and fiscal compliance, and researcher time.
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