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What is Colorado Healthcare Coalition about?
Colorado Healthcare Coalition was organized to advocate for universal healthcare, specifically Improved Medicare for All (IM4A) or a similar system at a state level. Having been through a number of attempts to pass IM4A, a single-payer system, we understand what the special interests (health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and hospital chains) are going to say about why we should not have IM4A. Of course the things that they say are designed to reduce support for IM4A by spreading misinformation. We intend to get ahead of that by pointing out how the things they are saying are misleading or completely false.
Why is it important to advocate for single-payer at a state level?
It is quite clear that there is not support at the federal level for IM4A at this time. Even many Democrats do not support it. We believe that this is due to the very large amounts that the special interests contribute to politicians’ campaigns. We also believe that if one or more states implement a single-payer system, the success of that system will force national politicians to get on board.
What, exactly is a single-payer system?
In a single-payer system medical services and products are delivered by doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other medical providers. Each of those providers files claims with the government for payment. So the government is the “single payer”, but the government does not run the healthcare system. Your doctor does what is best for you, and the government pays the doctor.
Wouldn’t a single-payer system cost more?
At first glance, you might think so. After all, the system would cover more people for more things. But there are also massive savings to be had by eliminating all of the administrative tasks that don’t deliver any healthcare. Every provider in the country who accepts insurance has to spend large amounts dealing with the hundreds of insurance companies and the thousands of different policies. In a single-payer system most of this goes away because the system for filing for payment is simple and straightforward.
Is there any proof that a single-payer system would save money?
Every legitimate study that has been done to compare the cost of single-payer to what we spend today shows that single-payer would not cost more; and almost all of those studies show that single-payer would cost substantially less. A study commissioned by the Colorado legislature comparing 3 ways of paying for health care showed that single-payer covers everyone and saves billions!
How does the amount we spend in the US for healthcare compare to other developed countries?
We spend over twice as much per person as other developed countries. Approximately $4 trillion each year. If you think about it for a moment, spending twice as much per person as we would have to, that comes to $2 trillion we are wasting each year! (That’s 2-1/2 times the entire defense budget, wasted.)
Do we get better health outcomes than other countries?
It seems like we should, but we don’t! In the study conducted every few years by the Commonwealth Fund, we are consistently last among eleven developed countries.
More to come…