Gov. John Hickenlooper said the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling Thursday "simply keeps Colorado on the path toward reform" it has been on since the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress.
 
Colorado, the governor said in a statement, began working in 2006 on finding ways to improve health care outcomes for Coloradans.

The Affordable Care Act provided increased funding to make comprehensive reform possible, he said.

Parts of the law, Hickenlooper's statement said, are already improving the lives of  Coloradans, most notably:
 
· 1,331 people with pre-existing conditions have received coverage through a new high risk pool, GettingUsCovered.

· 43,997 young adults in Colorado have gained insurance coverage.

·  40,000 people with Medicare in Colorado have received a $250 rebate and discounts to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they hit the Medicare coverage gap.
 
“More Coloradans will benefit when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented in 2014,” Hickenlooper said. “We will continue to operate within the law’s framework and with the General Assembly while making state-level decisions that work for everybody.”