DENVER – As Colorado’s Division of Insurance (DOI) continues to mislead the public about the unaffordable costs and consequences of the Colorado Option, lawmakers in the state are warning of the state government-controlled health insurance system’s failures.

Writing in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, state Senator Perry Will explains that “the Colorado Option has not expanded access to affordable health care, nor has it served the needs of our citizens. It has both failed to deliver on its promises and has made matters worse.”

Pointing out that Colorado Option premiums have gone up and the law has already pushed private health coverage options out of the market, Senator Will adds that “it is downright alarming when you consider that the state’s insistence on continuing down this path will likely cause more health plans to leave while making it virtually impossible to attract new ones to our state.”

Senator Will adds:

Additionally, decreasing reimbursement rates to health care providers — which the Colorado Option relies on in a desperate attempt to stay afloat — will force providers to either pass increased costs on to consumers or cut services; another blow to Colorado patients, no matter which they choose.

As a rancher and business owner, I know that a healthy marketplace spurs competition, which, in turn, drives down prices and empowers consumers. As the Colorado Option continues to distort our state’s health coverage markets, Coloradans will have to pay higher prices for fewer options. Instead of expanding access to high-quality, affordable health care, the Colorado Option is doing the exact opposite.

To read Senator Perry Will’s full op-ed in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, click here.

To read more about the unaffordable costs and consequences of the Colorado Option, click here.