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No matter what happens with health care reform in the state, the diagnosis for the editorial staff of the Rocky Mountain News will remain the same — short sighted!

The Aug. 2 editorial objecting to the Colorado Health Services Program (“Single payer baloney”) on the grounds that it would result in a tax increase demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of health care financing in our country today and no vision for what steps might be
necessary to provide affordable health care tomorrow.

The editorial is so focused on what the plan might do to tax rates that it ignores the fact that no matter how money is spent on health care, it is money that can then be used for nothing else.

So the question should be, not what does this plan do to my taxes, but what does this plan do about health-care costs? Unlike programs which mandate that you buy health insurance, the Colorado Health Services Program reduces costs by removing most of the administrative fees.

The average family in the United States pays around $10,000 for health insurance if they do not get that insurance through the workplace. Households in Colorado with the median income of just over $50,000 would pay less than a third of that amount for coverage through the Colorado Health Services Program. It would do so much more for the common good, because everyone would be covered.

The other concern I have is the notion that people from other states would flock here to abuse our system. In reality when those people flock here, they may find abundant employment here, because businesses from around the nation would leap at the chance to set up shop in a state in which they were no longer burdened by health insurance costs. Your “boondoggle” would be Colorado’s bonanza.

Richard Gingery, M.D., a resident of Montrose, is president of Health Care for All Colorado.

READER COMMENTS

Oh boy. When a Dr. starts making comments about business, watch your wallet.

Bob, you don't think he has a valid point about that, though? (businesses finding Colorado a more attractive place to set up shop in the event of a single payer system)

Thanks for the insight, doc. Don't mind the other negative comments...they had nothing to a viable solution and also show the lack of intelligence of the writer.

Wow Cheryl, going mean early and often really shows your "intelligence."

MTS, having an attractive business environment is important. And, complex. I think the doc's comment about business flocking here is fine if there is no tax increase. Increase state taxes to 10% to pay for it (as suggested in the original editorial), and no, I don't think we'll see a business boondoggle.

No thank you Dr. Gingery!!! Scary stuff!!

We already have to many "people flocking here"!!! That's one of the problems!!!

I do agree with the fine doctor. I am drastically opposed to a national single payer system. I think the steps that Colorado would take on a state level are exactly what should be done on this issue. However, go one step further and assure safe-guards. They would NEED to be in place, before this system could even be thought to roll out, to protect against:

1. Rationing. There can be no system that supports rationed health care.

2. Fraud. We would need to change the law to allow all health facilities, unless life threatening, the ability to turn away non-residents of Colorado. We would have to forsake our liberty (maybe a finger print system for all adults and those dependents that would be covered by those adults), to insure that ONLY Colorado residents would be treated within this system. Finger printing is actually a great idea, as that would absolutely insure that only Colorado residents were treated under the single payer system.

3. Write this within the Colorado Constitution so that any associated revenue MUST be spent solely on health care. There can be no borrow from Paul to pay Peter.

4. This would need to be a system integrated over a number of years, to assure that there will not be rationing, that checks and balances have been established, that a criminal code will reflect any that abuse our system, and that proper over-sight is funded and planned for. This MUST NOT be our typical, knee-jerk government system, but one with foresight, planning, and accountability. The last thing I would want is for our single payer system to end up like our public education system, or even worse, our DOT.

We get the groundwork laid to protect against these issues, and I think we may have a working system to build upon. But, should the desire to be to put the cart in front of the horse, look out Colorado...

President for Health Care for All Colorado..

Doesn't that say all we need to know about this person?

He's head of an organization that is pushing for and hopes to be in at the beginning for a single payer, read as working, taxpaying citizen, system that will shaft everyone and help only those, I'm one, who have serious health care problems and below normal income. Of course, as time goes on, we will end up with the rationed care, lack of concern and downright denial that other systems have. Check out the VA for a working example of American Govenrment run healthcare. Good thing they can't do this without our approval for the tax increases. Hope enough people think before voting.

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