History

Universal Healthcare Advocacy in Colorado

Overview
This is the story of the efforts by Colorado Healthcare Coalition to get a universal healthcare system in Colorado.  We define universal healthcare as any system that allows everyone to get the healthcare they need, regardless of how much money they have.

The Current Situation
It has been clear for decades that the American healthcare system is not designed to provide healthcare for people who need it.  Rather, it is designed to produce massive profits for large corporations.  It is also clear that there is no chance at the present that the Congress will change the current system.  The special interests simply have too much lobbying power.  Given this situation, there have been various attempts to implement a universal healthcare system at the state level.

Previous Efforts
The recent efforts in Colorado started in 2016 when Amendment 69 was presented to the voters.  This was a constitutional amendment that would have created a healthcare system to cover all Colorado residents.  Enough signatures were gathered to put the amendment on the ballot.  Unfortunately, the voters turned down the amendment.  We feel confident that the primary reason that this effort failed was because the advocates were unable to raise enough money to fight off the special interests.  Health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and large hospital chains vigorously fought the amendment since it would have substantially reduced their profits.

The Cost of Different Options
In 2019, the Colorado Legislature passed House Bill 19-1176, also known as the Health Care Cost Savings Act of 2019.  The bill commissioned a study by the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH) to compare the cost of three ways of paying for healthcare in Colorado.  First was the cost of continuing the current system.  Second was the cost of a “public option”.  Third was the cost of a single-payer universal healthcare system.  (A single-payer system is where a government entity pays all the bills, but care is delivered by the same providers we have now.)  The report was released in 2021.  The report showed that only the single-payer system would cover everyone and that it would be the least expensive option.  A single-payer system would save the people of Colorado between $1 billion and $4 billion the first year, depending on reimbursement rates to providers.

Commissioning a Detailed Analysis
The Colorado Legislature did not follow up on the 1176 report, partly because it was released during the COVID pandemic.  So, various advocacy groups came together across the state to try to convince the legislature to commission a follow-up study that would provide details about how a single-payer system could work (or even might not work) in Colorado.  SB25-045 titled the Health-Care Payment System Analysis Act was finally passed in the 2025 session, and it was signed by the Governor.    Unfortunately, the Legislature was not able to fund the study due to severe budget constraints.  However, the bill states that the cost can be covered by “gifts, grants, and donations”.

The Cost of the Analysis
CSPH has stated that the total cost of doing the study will be $750,000.  This includes the cost of studying long-term care in addition to other medical needs.  The various non-profits around the state who advocate for universal healthcare are in the process of raising this amount.  $405,000 must be raised by the end of November 2025 to get the study started.  The remaining amount must be raised by the end of January 2026 in order to give CSPH enough time to complete the study by the end of 2026 as required by the bill.

The Importance of the Analysis
This study is absolutely crucial to putting together a new healthcare system that the voters will accept and approve.  Without the study, there are too many questions about exactly how this could work.  Once the study is completed, we will have answers to most of those questions.

Ongoing and Future Efforts
During the time that CSPH is doing the analysis, we will continue working to educate the public about our current healthcare system and how it could be much better.  After the analysis report is delivered, we will be working to generate either a legislative initiative or a constitutional amendment to put in front of the voters of Colorado.

We appreciate the work of all our supporters in this effort.  We will succeed!

Guinn Unger, October 2025
Email: info@cohccoalition.org