In a new op-ed published by Colorado Politics, respected community leader Maya Wheeler calls attention to some legislators’ “disconcerting focus on outdated ideas, particularly the proposal to study a single-payer health care system in our state.”

Wheeler writes:

This sentiment is especially pertinent when considering previous research suggesting a single-payer system, akin to what some lawmakers want to study, would surpass the entire current state budget. Furthermore, Colorado voters emphatically rejected the adoption of single-payer health care, with nearly 80% opposing a ballot initiative just a few years ago. Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about the affordability and potential harm to medical care access and to the economy.

In response to this resounding rejection of single-payer, the state introduced the Colorado Option, a well-intentioned government-driven system that, unfortunately, falls short of expectations. Despite promises of increased affordability and options, the Colorado Option has failed to deliver, leaving consumers with fewer coverage choices.

Though we appreciate Gov. Jared Polis and Lieutenant Gov. Dianne Primavera’s commitment to making health care more affordable, it is crucial to address systemic issues within the health care system. With the Colorado Option already falling short of its promises, moving closer to a single-payer system won’t resolve existing problems.

As Colorado’s Health Care Future has also pointed out, Coloradans are already experiencing the higher costs and negative consequences of ‘single-payer lite’ through the Colorado Option, whose supporters claimed it would lower costs and provide more choices.

Instead, the Colorado Option has objectively failed to fulfill those promises: Premiums continue to rise for consumers and Coloradans today have fewer coverage choices than they did before the Colorado Option was implemented – the exact opposite of what Coloradans were promised.

To read Maya Wheeler’s full op-ed in Colorado Politics, click here.