Colorado Health Plans make Expanded Commitments to Integrated Care and State Innovation Model

The Colorado State Innovation Model (SIM) project is pleased to recognize the significant commitments made by six Colorado health insurers and the state's Medicaid program to adopt delivery and payment reforms designed to integrate behavioral and physical healthcare.

"These commitments represent an important step forward in furthering the goals of the SIM initiative," said Vatsala Pathy, SIM Director. "These plans were individually crafted by each payer to fit their business platforms and systems, and done so voluntarily. Their commitments to these reforms are especially impressive given the competitive nature of Colorado's insurance market."

"Transformational change in the way healthcare is delivered and paid for cannot happen without payers being on board and we are thrilled to have such a strong commitment from these forward-thinking healthcare leaders," Pathy said.

The changes that each of the six health insurance companies and Medicaid agreed to implement are aligned with and support SIM, an ambitious effort to integrate medical and behavioral care and ensure payment structures are in place to make that happen.

In December, the state received a $65 million federal grant and engaged in a cooperative agreement to carry out the goals of SIM. The initiative is providing financial and technical support for the development and testing of payment and service delivery models that will improve health system performance, increase quality of care and decrease costs.

The healthcare insurers who have made these transformational commitments are:

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Colorado Access, Colorado Choice Health Plans, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and UnitedHealthcare. Colorado's Medicaid program also is changing practices in similar ways.

"Supporting integrated care and the State Innovation Model is part of our ongoing effort to invest in the primary care doctor-patient relationship and help Coloradans live their best lives possible," said Mike Ramseier, President of Anthem. "Programs like this are fundamental to Anthem's mission to lower health care cost while delivering high quality care, which is why this will be our new way of contracting with all primary care providers going forward."