| Candidate: | Nathan Wilkes - Englewood, Colorado |
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| Position: | CO Senate |
| District: | 27 |
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| Question 1A | If the Colorado Single Payer Health Services Plan is introduced in the next session of the Legislature, would you support it? |
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| Answer 1A: | Yes |
| Comment 1A: | Before I ever contemplated running for the State Legislature, I also submitted a comprehensive health care reform proposal to the 208 Commission. My proposal was also fundamentally a single payer plan. It was very similar to Dr. Rocky White's CHSP proposal, so I wasn't too upset when mine was not short-listed for evaluation. I was happy to see his proposal get selected for review, and even provided some oversight review during the modeling phase (questioning some of the Lewin Group's numbers). I was nominated and unanimously elected to serve on the 208 Commission's Business Task Force to provide additinal insight to the Commission. I have studied the US health care system in detail for the last four and a half years, with particular interest in how it impacts families with chronic illness and businesses. After the 208 Commission process and subsequent stalling in the Legislature, I felt that it was my duty and obligation to run for office and take over a seat that would otherwise be held by a Republican incumbent that would not represent the best interests of the people when it comes to health care reform. I have been involved for a couple of years now working with both state and federal legislators to "turn the ship" in the right direction, pushing for single payer reform and opposing mandates, association plans, and other gimmicks that only serve to further enrich the private, for-profit health insurance industry. If elected, I will make it my mission to see that a single payer plan like CHSP is introduced, deservedly well-discussed, and put before the people of Colorado. |
| Question 1B | Would you support other legislation that works toward development of a comprehensive single-payer health services plan in Colorado that would replace reliance on the commercial health insurance industry?? |
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| Answer 1B: | Yes |
| Comment 1B: | Under Colorado's current single-subject law, it will most likely require multiple pieces of legislation to realize the end goal. I was a supporter of Rep. Morgan Carrolll's FAIR bill in the last session, since transparency in insurance rating would give us more visibility into the deceptive practices of the private insurance industry. Establishment of a public trust for health care financing (separate from the General Fund), roll-out of a comprehensive health information technology system, and other such steps may be required in tandem or prior to a full single payer implementation. I will also oppose legislation (such as individual mandates) that only serves to make the current system worse by subsidizing the private insurers with taxpayer dollars, increasing patient cost-sharing, and reducing benefits. While more people may be covered, the average benefits would be reduced, taxes would go up unnecessarily, and the private insurance "elelphant in the room" would only become more powerful with additional profits. |
| Question 2: | Do you believe the state of Colorado has an obligation to provide relief to its citizens in areas such as health care when the Federal Government is unable or unwilling to do so? |
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| Answer 2: | Yes |
| Comment 2: | Before running for the State Legislature, and before submitting a proposal to the 208 Commission, I was involved at the federal level with groups advocating for H.R. 676, the US National Health Insurance Act. I even spoke at the January 2007 press conference in Washington, DC on the day H.R. 676 was dropped in the hopper. While I believe that the best solution will be one that is national in scope, there are a few reasons why I felt it was imperative that a Colorado solution be developed at the same time or sooner. First of all, an effective national program would most likely still be managed geographically at the state level. Second, over $3 billion per year spent lobbying on Capitol Hill by Health Insurers, Big Pharma, and Medical Device Manufacturers tells me that top-down reform will not happen without a truly progressive President and supermajority in Congress. (There are four full-time health care lobbyists for every member of Congress.) A state should have better luck cultivating the roots of health care reform. Third, I am familiar with the history of Medicare in Canada, and believe that the US will see a similar path to reform. When the Federal Government does not make progress in health care reform it hurts our ability to compete in the global economy and results in poorer health outcomes and tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in the US each year. It is this kind of negligance that must be addressed at the state level when there is no progress at the federal level. |
| Question 3: | Would you support a resolution calling for our Colorado Congressional delegation to support legislation that encourages states to serve as laboratories for the nation by developing new and creative plans for health care? |
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| Answer 3: | Yes |
| Comment 3: | I see such federal legislation as an important step to removing political "roadblocks" from discussion of state reform. Medicare funding, federal Medicaid funding, and ERISA Preemption are all trotted out as reasons why a state cannot ever implement a single payer program on its own. While I disagree, being able to defuse that argument with passage of S 1169 would be a tremendous victory towards the goal of single payer. |
| Question 4: | I will advocate for single-payer health care reform when I address issues such as: (Please check those that you believe are affected by the health care crisis.) |
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| Answer 4: | Yes |
| Answer 4 Advocacy Issue Areas: | x- poverty x- inequality and disparities x- bankruptcy x- public health concerns x- national, state and local budgets x- rising populations and costs of prisons x- educational improvement x- businesses competitive viability x- sustainability of Medicare x- other |
| Comment : | Other areas affected by our health care crisis are Medicaide reform, insurance reform, fraud and abuse in medical billing, children's health, medical inflation and cost containment. |
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