HEALTHCARE & HUMAN SERVICES
Healthcare is a Human Right, Not a Privilege
No family should go bankrupt choosing between groceries and cancer treatment. Actor James Van Der Beek’s family went broke keeping him alive through cancer treatment – this is the reality for families across Colorado. This ends now.
COLORADO UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE
I will provide all Coloradans with free healthcare, or at minimum $50 maximum per year per family member (with installment plans for lower-income families). We’ll create a regional pool with surrounding states – Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico – forming a multibillion-dollar fund that creates a powerful healthcare network.
If neighboring states won’t join? We’ll work with like-minded states who truly want to take care of their citizens. Colorado will lead the way in proving healthcare is a right, not a luxury.
HOW IT WORKS - THE $50 PLAN DETAILS:
Total Annual Healthcare Budget: $32 Billion (down from current $38 billion through efficiency gains)
Multi-State Insurance Pool Power:
- Pool Size: Colorado (5.8M) + Wyoming (580k) + Utah (3.4M) + Arizona (7.3M) + New Mexico (2.1M) = 19.2 million people
- Negotiating Power: 40-60% reduction in pharmaceutical costs, 25-35% reduction in medical device costs
- Administrative Savings: $6 billion annually (eliminates insurance company 30% overhead)
Complete Funding Plan – $31.1 Billion Revenue:
- Employer Payroll Tax: 6% = $14.2 billion annually
- Employer Savings: Currently pay 8-12% of payroll for health benefits
- Net Employer Savings: 2-6% reduction in labor costs
- Individual Income Tax: 2% on income over $50,000 = $4.8 billion annually
- Family Savings: Average family currently pays $6,000-12,000 in premiums/deductibles
- Net Family Savings: $5,000-11,000 per year
- Federal Matching Funds = $10.6 billion annually
- ACA Expansion Dollars: $2.4 billion
- Medicare/Medicaid Federal Contributions: $8.2 billion
- “Sin Taxes” and Pharmaceutical Fees = $1.2 billion annually
- Tobacco Tax Increase: $180 million
- Sugary Drink Tax: $120 million
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Fees: $890 million
- Individual $50 Annual Fees = $290 million
- Purpose: Administrative costs and reserve fund
- Waived for families earning under $35,000/year
- Payment Plans: $4.17/month for lower-income families
Implementation Timeline:
- Year 1: Negotiate interstate compact, pass legislation
- Year 2: Build infrastructure, hire staff, begin enrollment
- Year 3: Full implementation, all Coloradans covered
STATE-OF-THE-ART ADDICTION TREATMENT
We need world-class drug addiction and counseling centers from metro Denver to rural Colorado. This will be a priority for my administration. We’ll build these facilities and staff them properly – because addiction is a health crisis, not a criminal justice problem. These centers will also treat mental health issues.
GETTING OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS BACK HOME
We have vulnerable Coloradans living on our streets – some with mental health issues, some with addictions, some simply priced out of housing. We need an out-of-the-box approach.
I will create a state homeless unit using specially trained National Guard members in counseling and community development. They’ll patrol homeless hotspots providing resources to our most vulnerable neighbors. The state will convert unused office space into transitional shelters where people can get their lives back on track.
We have buildings. We have the resources. What we need is the will to treat every Coloradan with dignity.
