Colorado Will Vote on Universal Health Care

It could become the first state to ditch ObamaCare
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 10, 2015 6:20 PM CST
Colorado Will Vote on Universal Health Care
   (Shutterstock)

The residents of one US state could become the first to reject ObamaCare next year, Al Jazeera reports. Surprisingly they'd be dumping it for something even more liberal. Officials announced Monday ColoradoCareYES collected enough signatures—158,831—to get Initiative 20 on the ballot. If passed, the bill would replace the national Affordable Care Act with statewide universal health care. "Colorado deserves a better option, and now they can vote on one," the Denver Post quotes one state senator. Under ColoradoCare, health insurance for every resident would be paid for through a 10% payroll tax—6.67% paid by employers and 3.33% paid by employees. Residents would choose their own provider, and ColoradoCare would foot the bill.

The ColoradoCareYES campaign states the 10% tax would raise $25 billion per year, enough to cover everyone, including unemployed adults and children, the Post reports. According to Al Jazeera, a recent poll showed 63% of Americans want universal health care, but ColoradoCare is expected to face a major battle. Opponents of Initiative 20—who are expected to out-fundraise supporters—claim universal health care would double the state budget, cost jobs, shutter hospitals, and make it harder to recruit physicians, the Post reports. According to Al Jazeera, Vermont voters passed universal health care in 2011 only to get rid of it after three years over cost. (More Colorado stories.)

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