COLORADO, USA — When Colorado's governor ended the public health emergency, he rescinded all remaining COVID-19 executive orders that he put in place by issuing a new executive order.
The Colorado COVID-19 Disaster Recovery Order is the new executive order, keeping some of the policies from the executive orders now rescinded.
Since the declaration of a public health emergency on March 10, 2020, Gov. Jared Polis (D) issued more than 400 COVID-19-related executive orders. Actually, it is closer to 50 specific COVID-19 executive orders, with the remaining orders extending previous ones every 30 days.
Just some of the executive orders included:
- Preparing alternative care sites
- Creating the color dials
- Suspending in-person learning
- Issuing mask orders
- Reducing red tape for health care workers
The Colorado COVID-19 Disaster Recovery Order extends some of the policies from the executive orders.
One of those policies is the bonus Polis created in May and June to incentivize unemployed people to get a job and keep it for at least eight weeks.
Colorado Jumpstart offered people a bonus of up to $1,600 if they returned to work between May 16 and May 29 and keep that job for eight weeks.
If they got their job between May 30 and June 26, the bonus would be up to $1,200.
The first half would be paid after four weeks of work, the second half after eight weeks.
According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, 18,606 people reported returning to work during the eligible time frame. Of those, 5,657 people have been paid a total of $4,145,448. That is an average of $732 per person.
Another policy still in place with the new executive order requires landlords to still give tenants 30 days' notice before starting the eviction process instead of 10 days. The policy does not allow tenants to avoid paying rent.
Part of the executive order makes it clear that no one should pay for a COVID-19 vaccine.
"I was shocked. I turned directly to Kamil and I said, we got charged for a vaccine that we didn't even get," said Ashley Keski.
Keski and her husband, Kamil, were supposed to get a COVID-19 vaccine at the Dr. Moma clinic in Colorado Springs in April. That is the clinic where if a person did get vaccinated, they were told to be revaccinated because of storage concerns.
"We both got charged individually on our insurance, and another friend of ours that went the same day, and also did not get his shot, he checked his insurance, and sure enough, there was a charge," said Kamil Keski. "I just have this terrible feeling that more people have probably been charged for a vaccine shot that they did not get or that they shouldn't have been charged for in the first place."
A voicemail left for a number previously associated with Dr. Moma has not been returned on Friday night.
The state has an FAQ page about the COVID-19 vaccine and billing. If a provider is demanding payment for a vaccine, people can report them by filling out the following form: covid19.colorado.gov/VaccineConcerns. They can also call 1-877-COVAXCO (1-877-268-2926).
If you have insurance and it is not paying for the COVID-19 vaccine, contact the Division of Insurance Consumer Services team: 303-894-7490 or email DORA_Insurance@state.co.us.
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