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Now that I have been around a lot longer, I still have this same question. Any of us who have had to struggle to find affordable insurance, who have had to fight with insurance companies, or who have had to "go bare" because of the exorbitant cost of insurance and health care are ready for a change. |
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The Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform 2007 has been studying proposals to address the need to expand coverage and decrease health care costs. I look forward to reading the Commission's report due to be issued at the end of January 2008. I consider affordable health care a critical issue facing Colorado and this country. This is a very complex and controversial issue. I want to look very closely at the possibility of a single payer system for health care in Colorado which would include basic health care coverage for all including provisions for those with disabilities and mental health issues. |
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The independent auditing firm that studied the various proposals being considered by the Blue Ribbon Commission found that the proposal for a single payer system would cost over 1 billion dollars less than our current system while the other proposals would cost more. Individuals would no longer pay high premiums for health insurance, and health care providers would no longer have to deal with a myriad of insurance companies and the various rules of multiple carriers. While details of this system will require cooperation from the federal government, the health care industry, and businesses, most Coloradoans desire simplified and accessible health care. I will work to make that happen. |
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When I was in college, I spent some time one summer studying in London, England. While there, I had a bad case of tonsillitis and had to go to the hospital, be treated by a doctor, and get a prescription. I was quite concerned about the cost of this visit since I was on a very limited budget. Much to my surprise, when I checked out, I was told there was no cost; everything was free! At my young age of 19, I remember thinking that this seemed like a great system and why couldn't the U.S. provide quality health care at no cost or low cost rates.
The statistics are alarming: in Colorado, 785,000 people are uninsured; of these, 180,000 are children. Many workers cannot afford to buy insurance for their families, leaving them vulnerable to economic devastation if a child has a catastrophic illness or injury.