Concerns with Funding and Implementation

Margo Karsten, President and CEO, Northern Colorado Banner Health:

“I’d be curious to know, is there a different option we’d create together to impact more people than that? The Colorado Hospital Association would like to be engaged in a broader conversation that will impact many more lives than that.”

Chris Holbert, Senate Minority Leader, Colorado:

“I think that we should not move forward on that, at least not this year, that we should allow the reinsurance bill that was passed last year more time to have hopefully greater influence. I think that too much change too suddenly in something as important as health care is too risky. It seems precarious.”

Brad Niederman and Tim Hebert, Colorado State Association of Health Underwriters:

“How will the state option ensure premium affordability? How will affordability be defined and monitored?” The public option program draft assumes carriers, providers, and hospitals will participate in the State Option, what if they don’t? How can the state require their participation?”

Joey Bunch, Colorado Politics:

“With hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, plenty of skeptics question a piecemeal Colorado attempt to solve a national quagmire.”

Dylan Roberts, State Representative, Colorado:

“[W]e don’t have examples to work off of… We don’t have the examples to take a look at to make sure there aren’t unintended consequences.”

Andrew Kenney, Political Reporter, Colorado Public Radio:

“Democrats are not united behind the idea of creating a public option however, with some in the caucus sounding a note of caution about wading into such a complex arena.”