Colorado has among the highest health care costs in the country. According to a recent analysis by the Colorado School of Public Health, those costs would be reduced significantly by switching to a state-run, single-payer system.
The analysis compared the costs of various approaches, including the current Colorado health care system, where coverage is either provided by private insurance or public programs (i.e. Medicare or Medicaid). It also looked at a universal health care model where all residents are covered by a publicly-financed insurance plan with care delivered by private providers.
The report concluded that introducing universal health coverage in Colorado that is either a multi-payer or single-payer system will likely increase access to care, improve health outcomes, decrease medical bankruptcies and increase employment. They found that Colorado’s current health care system costs us a total of $38.3 billion annually in medical bills and insurance premiums – and still leaves 357,000 residents uninsured.
The publicly financed and privately delivered health care system came in around $34.62 billion annually, yielding upward of $3 billion in health care savings yearly, particularly if pricing regulations are put in place to control future costs. A universal system also provides lower average individual costs, increased productivity at work and reduced ER utilization.
Ask our legislators to read the report and sponsor a bill to create a state funded universal health care plan covering all residents of Colorado.
For more information, visit https://hcpf.colorado.gov/health-care-cost-analysis-task-force.
Jan Phillips
Durango
