November 8th is right around the corner. And while the onus of the day is placed on electing our next President, Colorado residents will have something else to ponder in the world of healthcare. Amendment 69, known as The Colorado Creation of ColoradoCare System Initiative will be on the ballot for voters to elect for and against a new universal healthcare system for the state. The initiative would provide healthcare across Colorado, in the hopes of providing statewide coverage. The program works on a basis of hitting eleven categories in essential coverage. Per BallotPedia, these include:
· ambulatory patient services, including primary and specialty care
· hospitalization
· prescription drugs and medical equipment
· mental health services and substance abuse services, including behavioral health treatment
· emergency and urgent care
· preventive and wellness services
· chronic disease management
· rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
· pediatric care, including oral, vision, and hearing services
· laboratory services, maternity, and newborn care
· palliative and end-of-life care
Residents will not be denied this coverage due to the nature of their illnesses or preexisting conditions, and the program will be paid through a payroll tax capped at 10%—with employees paying a third into it and employers into the remainder. A 10% tax would also be charged to “non-payroll” income, including self-employment or other equity such as dividends and certain pensions, barring certain age and income requirements. That’s an estimated $25 billion a year to fund the program through these taxes.
The Affordable Care Act does provide a stipulation where states can establish their own healthcare initiatives. However, any subsidies provided by the ACA then go to the state’s respective program and not to residents utilizing the Marketplace. Other programs like Medicare and Medicaid would remain, and residents are also free to obtain private healthcare still from themselves or their employers.
While ColoradoCare is being touted as “universal healthcare,” there are several questions to raise. There is no clear date on when this would take effect should the ballot be passed—and while the ACA must issue a waiver for Colorado for this initiative to take effect, there are still several points and mandates under the ACA that must be ironed out prior to ColoradoCare working at full capacity. Should ColoradoCare be passed, it will be the first state in the country to come the closest to realizing a goal for universal healthcare.
To read the details of the Amendment 69 ballot, click here.