One state lawmaker wants to give sick children beer money.
Rep. Jerry Frangas, D-Denver, has introduced a plan that would boost taxes on alcohol by 2 percentage points and funnel the cash into a health care plan for Colorado’s nearly 200,000 uninsured kids.
Consumers would pay, for example, an extra 30 cents for a $15 bottle of wine, bringing the state up to $150,000 a year in new revenue and federal matching dollars, Frangas said. “We want to get something that doesn’t kill a major industry in our state, but by the same token, we want to make sure we can cover our kids,” the lawmaker said.
The plan laid out in House Bill 1341 would need final approval from voters. Frangas’ proposal comes at a time when politicians are scrambling for ways to fund promised health care improvements.
Jessica Fender, The Denver Post
