As the pandemic grinds on, Coloradans face another surge of infections and deaths, job losses, business closures, reduced incomes and the loss of employer- provided health insurance. Others cannot afford health insurance while many of those who have insurance cannot pay the deductibles and copays. Many fall between the cracks of our system and forego treatment only to put themselves and others at risk.
The Emergency Health Care Guarantee Act, HR 6906 and SB 3790, introduced in Congress in 2020, would have covered all Americans with comprehensive health care, including drug coverage, and paid all deductibles and copays, whether insured or uninsured. It would have prohibited surprise billing, prevented insurance companies from increasing cost-sharing and capped pharmaceutical drug prices.
We can still do this in 2021. Please ask Senators Bennett and Hickenlooper to reintroduce, co-sponsor, and support this act in the new Congress and (1) provide that the bill cover everyone retroactively to Jan. 1, 2020 and (2) continue coverage until widespread herd immunity is achieved nationally through mass vaccinations.
This temporary measure will save lives. Medicare would come to the rescue and pay for all out-of-pocket expenses not covered by health insurance, retroactively pay uncovered medical bills from the beginning of the pandemic, and protect everyone with comprehensive medical care, testing and treatment, while giving financial relief to those who have incurred crushing medical bills.
Coloradans deserve a fighting chance to access medical care and recover from the burden of illness and medical debt.
James R. Potter
Cotopaxi
