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Colorado Minimum Wage Laws were adjusted this year to allow for cities to set their own minimum wages that exceed Colorado’s. Beginning January 1, the Colorado minimum wage will go up to $12.00 per hour. For employers with work locations in the city of Denver, however, employees in those locations will have a minimum wage of $12.85 per hour in 2020 after the City Council approved the first city-based minimum wage increase.
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Colorado became the first state to pass a cap on the cost of Insulin of $100 for a 30-day supply. This should take effect for 2020 small group fully insured plans and some self-funded plans. Ask your broker if your 2020 plans have this cap in your insurance plan contract!
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Balance Bills (“Surprise Billing”) for healthcare may become less common after Colorado passed a law restricting out-of-network providers that operate at an in-network facility from sending surprise bills to patients. The law also restricts balance bills when receiving emergency services. These rules go into place on January 1 for new 2020 small group fully insured plans.
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Colorado’s Paid Family Leave Act in 2019 created a Task Force to study the impact of a statewide paid family leave program. The task force had an independent actuarial analysis completed and is expected to provide their final recommendations to the legislature in January. We expect a full bill proposing a program to be introduced in 2020; stay tuned for updates.
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The Colorado legislature also passed several laws on work and pay equity, including a ban on asking salary history in the hiring process, restricting employers from asking about criminal backgrounds, and establishing rules to allow employees to sue employers for gender-based wage discrimination. We expect all employers will need to prepare for the implementation of these new laws.
We’ll be watching these laws, and others coming in 2020, very closely to keep you informed with the most up-to-date information. If you have questions about how these new laws may impact your business or your employees, reach out to your Fall River Client Manager!
