Healthcare reform in Colorado could span years

The Denver Post, January 9, 2008

Lawmakers are stalling in providing a plan to offer health care coverage for the estimated 790,000 uninsured people in Colorado. Although it's a top priority for the legislature this session, neither Republicans nor Democrats seem ready to hit taxpayers up for a major health care reform package on the November ballot. At the end of this month, the legislature will hear five proposals--from requiring Coloradans to buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty, to creating a single nonprofit insurance program for all residents. Covering children alone would cost an extra $200 million per year, according to one legislative estimate.