Universal health care to appear on Colorado ballot in 2016

Supporters of universal health care have gathered enough signatures to put their plan on Colorado ballots next year.

Secretary of State Wayne Williams said Monday that proponents submitted 158,831 qualified signatures, about 60,000 more than required to put the measure on the ballot. The question would make Colorado the first state to opt out of the federal Affordable Care Act and replace it with universal health care.

Vermont lawmakers passed universal health care in 2011. Three years later, the state abandoned the plan as too expensive.

The ColoradoCareYES campaign says employers would have to pay about 7 percent of a worker’s wages into the system, with workers paying about 3 percent. They say the plan will cost $3 billion a year but will save $9 billion.

Skeptics say costs would run out of control.