The Colorado Universal Health Plan

Universal Health Care Financed by a Public Single-Payer System

 Click for more details: 

           Plan Highlights      Coverage and Benefits       Savings and Funding       Implementation

THE COLORADO UNIVERSAL HEALTH PLAN IS BASED ON THESE VALUES: 

• Human Rights: Access to a high standard of health care is one of the fundamental rights of every human being
  
  
• Medical ethics: Acting with justice, kindness, generosity, honesty, doing no harm, free to make the best choice
  
  
• Triple Aim:  Better population health, high quality patient experience, and lower cost
  
  
• Evidence-Based Practice:  Best research data, good clinical judgment, and respect for patient values

MEDICAL SERVICES DELIVERY REFORM: 

The CUHP is based upon the Colorado Health Services Plan sponsored by HEALTH CARE FOR ALL COLORADO (HCAC) and the Colorado Nurses Association (CNA) which was presented to the Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform in January 2007.  This plan defines the benefits provided and the health care delivery system.  It is this plan (a universal, public, single payer system) that demonstrates a conservative fiscal plan that provides enhanced services at a savings of $1.4B per year to Colorado statewide (governmental, business and individual). 

HEALTH CARE SYSTEM FINANCIAL REFORM: 

The State of Colorado presents some obstacles in proceeding with health care system financial reform as a result of a series of reforms in the Colorado Constitution, and a particular obstacle defined by TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights).  We believe that financing of health care reform can be accomplished by a TABOR exempt Enterprise. 

INSURANCE PLAN INFRASTRUCTURE: 

The vision of an improved future in Colorado related to health care services occurred in 1991 at which time Title 25.5 defined the insurance services infrastructure that provided the boilerplate for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).  “The HCPF mission, guiding principles, and vision should apply not only to the low-income segment of the population but to all Colorado residents”.  We believe that a prudent action would be to utilize an infrastructure that already is in place rather than building new duplicate infrastructures. 

Community Health Care and Reform of the Health Care System

The basis for change in our health care system is defined by:

Triple Aim (promoted by Don Berwick. Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

• Health of the defined population
• Enhance the patient care experience (including quality, access and reliability)
• Reduce, or at least control, the per capita cost of care

Evidence-Based Practice

• Best research data
• Good clinical Judgment
• Patient values

Medical Ethics

• Justice
• Beneficence
• Non-maleficence
• Patient Autonomy
• Truth Telling

The Plan:  Universal Health Care Financed by a Public Insurance Plan

Financial Reform

• Social Insurance (a Public Insurance Plan)
• Single-Payer system (Single Risk Pool and Efficient Provider Reimbursement)
• Established Infrastructure (HCPF)
• Affordable Premiums
• Reduced Cost of Health Care
• Savings and Financial Analysis by Lewin Group - 2007
  (Colorado Health Services Plan) 

Health Care Delivery Reform

EVERYBODY IN, NOBODY OUT

• Choose Your Own Provider
• Choose Your Own Hospital
• Comprehensive Coverage
• Changing Jobs?  Your Coverage goes with you!
• Emphasis on Prevention
• Investment in Community Health

The Next Steps:

We believe that when the financing reform comes first, the funds for universal care and delivery system reform become available.  The tactics for success include:

1. Education and Learning of Reform Efforts That Work
2. Coalition Building
3. Grassroots Movement, and
4. Legislative Efforts

Resources (PDF format)

These documents include the reform of both

• the financing of health and health care systems, and
• the structure of the delivery system(s)

1. Health Care for Colorado (HCAC) Preamble and Overview
   edited CHSP document for the purpose of the 2012 HCAC reform proposal
2. Colorado Health Services Plan (CHSP) Model Legislation
   This document was used to perform the Lewin analysis for the Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform.  (2007)
3. Lewin Analysis of the Colorado Health Services Plan 
4. CHSPIP – diagram of funds in a TABOR enterprise Trust