Colorado Looks to Expand Doctor Choices

Colorado labor advocates are pushing a bill that would expand the number of doctors that injured workers can choose from for treatment.
The change proposed in HB 1300 would expand the choices from the four that injured workers are now offered by employers to about 1,200 who are certified as WC care providers by the state.
This would be the first major change to state workers’ compensation law since a negotiated 2014 bill increased the number of provider options that employers must offer injured workers from two to four.
That four-physician max is favored by business leaders so that employers can vet the doctors who will treat their workers and ensure they get the best care for them, according to testimony to the Colorado House Business Affairs & Labor Committee.
Under HB 1300, workers would get seven business days from the time of injury to choose a Level I or Level II accredited workers-compensation provider within 70 miles of their home or workplace from the expanded list provided by the Division of Workers Compensation.
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Workers’ compensation insurance provider Texas Mutual Insurance will award $1.1 million in grants to 11 colleges across Texas to fund workplace safety and health courses for business owners, employees and the general public.
The grants support risk management programs at Amarillo College, Angelina College in Lufkin, College of the Mainland in Texas City, Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, El Paso Community College, Kilgore College, Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Lee College in Baytown, Midland College, Odessa College, South Texas College in McAllen and Texarkana College.
Courses at these safety institutes include a range of workplace safety topics, including OSHA outreach training, CPR and first aid, and fall protection. The colleges also provide courses tailored to the primary industries in their communities such as Department of Transportation regulations and oil and gas topics.
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Pinnacol A- Rating Rating Reaffirmed by AM Best
Colorado’s Pinnacol Assurance said that AM Best has reaffirmed its A-, or excellent, financial strength rating.
The decision was said to be based on the workers’ compensation carrier’s balance sheet strength, operating performance, business profile and enterprise risk management.
Pinnacol claims to serve more than 50,000 Colorado businesses and serves as the state’s “carrier of last resort.”
Earlier this year, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he will try to privatize Pinnacol, a move that has been tried twice in recent years as the state seeks to find money to fund its growing budget deficit.
Colorado could ultimately raise $305 million, with Polis reportedly proposing to spin Pinnacol into a fully private enterprise. In its 2023 financial statements, Pinnacol reported total assets of just over $3 billion.
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