Two Colorado bills aim to tackle cost of healthcare with public option

Most of us can relate when it comes to the cost of health care: insurance is just too expensive.

It’s why Colorado Democrats have been talking more and more about “public option” health care. In fact, there are currently five public payer options on the table.

But how likely is it that any of them will pass? Critics argue there are two that are seen as the most promising because they have bipartisan support in both chambers.

“The implementation of the public option will help anyone that’s on the individual market where prices are extremely high,” said state Sen. Kerry Donovan, the sponsor for one of two bills created to work in conjunction with one another.

Donovan’s bill would be first, implementing a pilot program geared toward rural communities.

“The pilot program will look at a small group of people and what their kind of reactions are to this idea,” Donovan said.

The idea is to offer ‘public option’ to counties that have limited insurance choices and face high premiums. If the Senate bill is successful, the House companion bill would follow implementing – ‘public option’ for the entire state by 2020.

Donovan explains it would lower costs by providing competition to profit-driven insurance companies. But Republican state Sen. Paul Lundeen disagrees.

“Medicaid is an example of what this would lead us to eventually — it pays doctors and healthcare providers about 68 cents on the dollar of what private payers would pay. It’s a disincentive for health care providers to participate,” said Lundeen.

If passed, the pilot program would provide access to 100 people in Eagle and Garfield counties.