As Colorado considers a measure to save billions and expand coverage, health care interests keen to protect some of the largest profit margins in the economy will be sure to mobilize quickly to snuff them out.
In a July 15 editorial in the Pagosa Springs Daily Post, Whom Do You Trust with Your Health, Bill Hudson breaks down some of the latest smears from Coloradans for Coloradans, an astroturf group financed 99% by corporations:
1. Amendment 69 would turn health care over to politicians. Gag me! Clearly written in the text of the amendment it says the board members elected to manage the coop are elected in non-partisan elections, i.e. – party affiliations do not matter and are not displayed on the ballot. Convincing the voters in seven districts that you have the knowledge, skill and ability to manage the cooperative are the only criteria.
2. The pathetic canard about the board not being accountable to the insurance commissioner (who is of course, a political appointee, an irony lost on the “No people”). Head smack! The coop is not a health insurance company with the attendant conflicts of interest. Health insurance providers have no duty whatsoever to insureds other than to perform their lousy policy contracts in good faith — there is no fiduciary duty to act in their best interests or to give anyone other themselves the benefit of the doubt. That’s why they need to be regulated by an insurance commission as a countervailing regulatory force. The opposite is true for the board members have a fiduciary duty to all Coloradans. Under ColoradoCare, the patients through the board regulate health care in their own best interests. For health insurers, the patients’ interests are only met when they happen to coincide with theirs.
3. Last but not least, the idea that the board can raise taxes is hogwash. The premium taxes can only go up if a majority of the members of the coop, that is — all the residents of Colorado, approve. In other words, health care costs can only increase with the patients’ approval.
I am voting for ColoradoCare because I know how and why it works to accomplish the trifecta of covering everyone, improving care and saving billions. I understand that it is better for patients, providers and the economy. ColoradoCare Yes polls well ahead of ColoradoCare no with informed voters who know the facts. If you want to get the facts, check out Home - ColoradoCare.