Landmark Universal Health Care Study Bill Signed Into Law
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On Wednesday, May 14, Governor Jared Polis signed SB25-045, a landmark bill requiring the Colorado School of Public Health to analyze draft model legislation for implementing a single-payer, nonprofit, publicly financed, and privately delivered universal health-care payment system for Colorado that directly compensates providers. The report detailing their findings is to be submitted to the general assembly by December 31, 2026. |
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This year marked the third session in which the bill was introduced, receiving considerable support in two prior sessions but "dying on the vine" due to legislative calendar restrictions. Bill sponsors, including Senator Marchman, Representative McCormick, and Representative Boesenecker, were determined not to let that happen a third time. |
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Governor Polis poses with HCAC Board Members, Kavya Ganuthula, Dondi Reyes, and Nathan Wilkes |
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Reflecting on the state of health care in Colorado, Governor Polis remarked, "I'm excited about this bill.... We spend twice as much and we have worse outcomes than most of the rest of the industrialized world. So, we are not getting a good deal for our health or for our pocketbooks. Colorado is no exception to that.... Fundamentally, I think there's the opportunity to do this better, and of course, this maintains -- and this is consistent with my viewpoints -- private delivery. But we can do better by larger risk pooling and we'll be able to do this right."
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Noting the increasing burden of health care on business in Colorado, Governor Polis added, "It would save Colorado businesses money because they are the ones who often pay for the coverage of individuals. It would help Colorado entrepreneurs who wouldn't have to struggle with the high cost of health care."
Universal health care is not only better and cheaper than the dysfunctional non-system we have in the United States, but is easily doable within a state the size of Colorado. After pointing out that every industrialized nation outside of the United States has already achieved universality, Polis highlighted that "many of these countries are smaller than Colorado."
Thanking the coalition of universal health care supporters from across the state, Representative Marchman quipped, "you guys are tenacious, you're resourceful, and you're competent... and it's my absolute honor to have gotten to join you to get this across the finish line."
Representative McCormick, a small business owner, added, "it was very important to me to dream about a day where we get the business owner out from between the patient and the doctor -- if we could just not be making those decisions for our employees."
What Comes Next
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Model Legislation to be studied will be available by July 1st, and a website will be published to monitor the progress of the work of the CSPH and the "Analysis Collaborative" of stakeholders appointed by the Executive Director of Colorado Health Care Policy and Finance to advise the work of the School of Public Health on this study. Since the study is solely funded by gifts, grants, and donations, fundraising work now begins in earnest to raise $750,000 needed to complete this monumental effort. |
Bill Sponsors and CSPH Leadership |
For Further Information
SB25-045 legislative bill page
Stay tuned for upcoming news on Study Fundraising, Appointment of the Collaborative, and Model Legislation details.
Governor Polis signing SB25-045