Cindy
Desplinter works for a small business in Denver. Her son, Micah,
age 5 has cerebral palsy. Health insurance rates for her company
have gone up 5 percent each year. When Micah was added to her
employer's plan, the entire company's health care premiums went
up 20 percent in one year not just for Cindy's family, but for
all 9 of Cindy's co-workers!
Colorado's health care reform is at least
3 years away, when the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care
Reform's recommendations could be implemented. Ask any business
owner whose premiums have gone up 30 percent in consecutive
years, or one of the 770,000 uninsured Coloradans. HB 1355 is a
critical step in preparing for the recommendations for the
health care reform commission's findings. However, each state is
wasting time and money working on individual bills that cannot
succeed because they don't have the tax base and cannot get the
job done quickly for all Americans.
HR676, Expanded Medicare for All, or
Universal single-payer health care, a bill by John Conyers, Jr.
in the House would immediately give us a national solution to
our health care needs. Like all other developed countries, we
would care for all including the veterans returning from the
war. Marilyn Musgrave (202-225-4676 or 663-3536) is one of the
representatives who have not signed on to this bill. Notify your
senators, Ken Salazar (224-2200) and Wayne Allard (461-3530)
that you want the Senate to cooperate when this bill comes out
of committee. We could have health care for all soon if we work
on a national bill.
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originally published
in the Fort Collins Coloradoan |
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