I support Amendment 69, ColoradoCare, because it’s crucial for all Coloradans to have health care.
ColoradoCare provides comprehensive health care for all, ensures equal opportunity, may reduce health care costs over time, saves lives, decreases bankruptcies due to health care debt, improves business productivity and efficiency, and should provide more discretionary income for people to spend since they will be spending less on high health insurance premiums.
Given the direction of the Colorado health care system with rising health insurance costs for businesses, employees, and individuals and families, ColoradoCare is workable.
I’ve been involved in health care for over 30 years, as a hospital CEO, provider, recipient in the current health insurance system, and educator in health care history and policy.
Waiting for the Colorado Legislature or Congress to act is futile given their history with health care reform, the gridlock in those legislative bodies, and the influence of the health insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.
ColoradoCare is an amendment precisely because Coloradans need to act in their own best interests. Special interests and partisanship immobilize our legislative bodies. Writing legislation for this amendment will be no more difficult than writing the retail marijuana legislation.
Waiting for the “market” and “competition” to provide cheaper health insurance or lowered health care costs has been the “solution” of Republicans and naysayers since the 1940s. The “market and competition” has neither increased the number of insured nor driven down health insurance and medical care costs.
Every industrialized country in the world has developed a health care system serving all its citizens, at lower costs, with better health care outcomes, and providing a fair return to providers.
If Medicare can work on a national level, then ColoradoCare, modeled after Medicare, can certainly work on a state level. Yes, there will be hiccups and uncertainty as Amendment 69 is implemented, but in time, Coloradans will participate in an excellent health care system.
Don’t buy into the scare tactics of those who profit from maintaining the current system, go to ColoradoCare.org to obtain the information you need to make an informed decision.
Michael Todt
Durango
