If the state of Colorado is going to reform health care, it will take a massive commitment by lawmakers, the trust and faith of voters and a vast amount of money.
That’s a lot to ask in a contentious political year with a presidential election looming and Republicans trying to regain their footing in the state legislature. Still, it’s a worthy and necessary task.
The reforms now under discussion by a blue ribbon panel likely would require voter approval because of possible tax hikes to pay for the reforms and also changes to state law. But first they must survive legislative review, which will be intense.
The 27-member 208 Commission (nicknamed for Senate Bill 208, which created it) has two key goals: cover more of the 780,000 uninsured and underinsured Coloradans and reduce costs to the state. They’re lofty but attainable goals. And with health care reform a top priority for many Americans, the proposals under discussion are worthy of robust legislative debate.
Formed under former Gov. Bill Owens and expanded under Gov. Bill Ritter, the panel has whittled a stack of 31 proposals to four for possible legislative review. A fifth plan, which takes the best features from several proposals, is in the works. The plans range from mandating employers to offer, or individuals to buy, coverage to expanding Medicaid to covering all Coloradans under a single government program.
At this early stage, there’s no consensus among lawmakers who have reviewed the plans. The chairs of the Senate and House committees which will hold hearings on proposed legislation have their own ideas for reform. As of last week, their plans didn’t necessarily match what the commission has proposed. Moreover, people who attended a commission briefing at the state Capitol last week said that opposition groups are forming to fight the proposals in the legislature.
That’s fine. If anything needs open, honest and in-depth debate, it’s health care reform. We’re glad that, so far, it doesn’t appear one plan will be ramrodded through the legislature.
Rep. Anne McGihon, chair of the House health committee, said the commission’s work is meant to educate lawmakers about the costs. Actual legislation “may or may not look like a 208 Commission proposal,” she said.
Sen. Bob Hagedorn, chair of the Senate health committee, said reform legislation in the Senate could range from a Kaiser-Permanente-like plan paid for by the government to a basic primary care plan that would cover only the uninsured in the beginning. There is a vast difference in cost among the proposals. Hagedorn predicted that any proposal will be a tough sell to voters who are insured and will be asking, “What’s in it for me?”
Lawmakers who attended last week’s briefing had other concerns. Rep. Debbie Stafford fears that mental health coverage is being left out. Like many other Republican lawmakers, she opposes tax increases to pay for reform and any plan that penalizes businesses.
House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and 2008 Joint Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Buescher remain optimistic. Both must play major roles in helping find a solution that, as Ritter says, is “balanced, carefully analyzed and the consequences well thought through.”
It’s possible the 2008 legislature will simply lay the groundwork for later reform, given the complexities of the issue. “The question is whether a state can really resolve it,” Romanoff said.
Considering the federal government hasn’t, we’re pleased the state is trying.
