A bill has recently been introduced into the Colorado House, HB23-1209, that commissions a report from the Colorado School of Public Health detailing the best way to implement a Colorado single-payer system. Single-payer means publicly financed, but privately delivered. The goal of the report is to answer the many questions about exactly how to best structure such a system so that every Colorado resident is covered and we spend less on healthcare.
The report is due by October 2024. The bill also creates a task force which will provide guidance to the School of Public Health. The task force must include members from various state agencies, healthcare organizations, and geographic areas. The goal is to make sure that the views of everyone in Colorado are considered.
After the report is received, it is our goal to have the legislature refer a measure to the voters of Colorado to establish a single-state, single-payer system, using the information from the report to make sure that we present the voters with the best system possible.
Again, this bill does not create a single-payer system. It just provides information about how that could best be done. We expect this bill to pass the House. But you can help by contacting your state senator and ask him or her to support HB23-1209.