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Colorado takes health care lead

It appears that our state legislators will get their wish and have someone else test the water regarding health care reform. A group in Colorado has managed to collect 60,000 more signatures than they need in order to put a universal health care initiative, ColoradoCare, on the ballot for 2016. Their plan will cover every resident in the state with no deductibles or annual caps, and will save state residents billions of dollars even though there will be a small increase in payroll taxes.

Insurance companies will have the opportunity to compete for the business, but in order to be competitive they will have to reduce their overhead from over 20 percent to under 5 percent. Patients will have the choice of any provider in the state, not just those in “the network.”

Washington has a very similar plan, the Washington Health Security Trust, already drafted and sitting in the House and Senate health care committees. If Colorado’s initiative is successful, they will be the first state to escape the confines of Obamacare. If our Legislature doesn’t act, that may be the way we have to go as well.

Daniel Schaffer

Spokane



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