Look Out Colorado

Mandatory Health Insurance in Colorado
By Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

Affordable health care and health insurance is an increasingly urgent issue, not just in Colorado, but nationally. In Colorado alone, approximately 1.4 million people have no health coverage. Apparently, the state legislature and the governor think that they choose to go without coverage; that people can afford it but simply choose to go without. This misconception has lead to a health care reform bill recommendation that would make it mandatory for all adults in the state, to have health insurance; whether or not they can afford it. Those who do not comply will be penalized through their state income tax filing. Under a law such as this, a person could easily find himself homeless… But hey, they’ll have medical coverage.

According to the 2006 national census, 10.6% of Colorado families were at or below the poverty level. At that time the population of Colorado was 4,813,536, which means that 510,234 people were poor. That is half a million people. In 2004 there were 441,000 people ages 18-64, approximately one third of the population, who were working but who had no health care coverage, and the majority of those uninsured workers were making 200% less than the federal poverty level. (The federal poverty level for a family of four, in 2006, was $20,000.) Therefore, it is pretty clear that they (the legislature) are dead wrong. With that many people living at or below the poverty level, is it any wonder so many have no health care coverage? There is no choice involved; they simply cannot afford it.

The Colorado median income has decreased and the number of families living in poverty has increased, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released August, 2007.

Obviously, the powers that be have not looked at this objectively. How could they? This bill would have absolutely no impact on their lives; the tax payers see to it that they have the best insurance coverage money can buy. Tax payers also pay them quite well, for what they do, so if they did not get insurance coverage as part of the job, they could still afford to buy it on their own.

The Governor plans to sign this bill*. If you do not support this kind of health care reform, call his office and let him know. (1-800-283-7215)

*http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=47775