Statehouse Democrats scored major victories Thursday when Gov. Bill Owens signed two bills to add the treatment of obesity, alcoholism and drug abuse to the government-funded insurance program for the poor.
But Owens also kept his veto pen handy, blocking two more bills from becoming law. He killed bills to create a health care commission and to require the reporting of suspected abuse of elderly and disabled adults.
House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, described the bill-signings as a major achievement for Democrats, who watched Republican-controlled legislatures kill similar proposals in previous years.
Romanoff said the bills will save the state money by reducing the long-term costs related to alcoholism, drug abuse and obesity. For example, he said, drug abusers and alcoholics contribute to higher prison costs.
“The big debate during this session has been about the budget, but we’ve also been looking for ways to cut costs,” Romanoff said. “You can pay for heart disease and prisons or you can treat the causes.”
The bills were part of a batch of nine bills Owens signed into law. Owens approved other bills that:
Owens’ two vetoes Thursday brought to 19 the number of bills he has blocked from the session that ended earlier this month. His previous record for vetoes was 14 in 2001.
Senate Bill 169 called for the state to create a 43-member assembly to study health care issues.
Owens said the bill was unnecessary because other groups are conducting similar studies. He also said the commission lacked funding and would be “too big, unwieldy and unfocused.”
The other measure, Senate Bill 98, urged nurses, pharmacists, dentists, hospital personnel and others to report suspected abuse of elderly and disabled adults.
“Processing a significant number of reports with limited resources,” Owens wrote, “could make it very difficult to directly target truly dangerous situations that are reported because they pose the gravest dangers to individuals.”
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
