No more waiting around for reform
It’s appalling what the county commissioners in El Paso County did this week when they passed a resolution urging our elected officials in Washington, D.C., to vote against affordable, quality health care for all Americans.
This vote highlights how out of touch our commissioners are with the day-to-day life of El Paso County families and businesses.
Right now, 46 million Americans are uninsured, and among them are 27 million small business owners, their dependents, and employees. Health insurance reform will actually help Colorado small businesses with the growing costs they face every year. Premium rates are increasing in double digits each year, forcing businesses to choose between hiring new workers and terminating benefits to retain quality staff.
Due to the limited options for individual policies, small businesses pay three times the administrative costs of large businesses for health insurance. Health insurance reform is vital to the survival of our small businesses and their ability to compete in the marketplace.
Board Chairman Jim Bensberg stated, “Eighty-two percent of privately-insured Americans are satisfied with their health care coverage.” This legislation allows those 82 percent to keep their existing coverage. No proposal on the table forces people out of their existing coverage, but they do provide safeguards to ensure that their coverage will still be available when needed and it will keep the costs of that coverage under control.
Insurance premiums in Colorado have risen 91 percent since 2000. Colorado families are carrying an unequal share of the health care cost burden, and health insurance reform is the only way we can begin to bring these costs under control while providing more care people need.
The average family in El Paso County pays $12,953 annually for health insurance. At the rate insurance premiums have risen, if we do nothing, the average American will soon be paying 40 percent to 50 percent of their income for health insurance.
Every week we delay reform, 700 Coloradans will lose their health insurance. More than 16,000 Americans will file for bankruptcy because they can’t afford to pay their medical bills, and 421 people in America will die because they lack health insurance.
Congress is working to enact health insurance reform legislation that protects what works about health care and fix what is broken. Coloradans know that inaction is not an option. Health insurance reform cannot wait and we can no longer allow the insurance companies to gain obscene profits from the pain and suffering of El Paso County residents.
From 2000 to 2007 the profits for private insurance companies grew 428 percent, much faster than any other sector of our economy. The average pay for an insurance company CEO is $11.9 million a year. But as consumers, we are left without any protections. Our coverage can be cancelled at any time and our premiums, co-pays and deductibles will continue to rise with no restriction.
The cost of health care is crippling Colorado families and businesses, especially small businesses. Health insurance reform is the only way we can begin to bring these costs under control for the benefit of all residents in El Paso County.
It’s time to stop playing politics and find solutions that work for American families. Health insurance reform should not be about scoring political points. It’s about people’s lives. It’s about people’s businesses. It’s about our country’s future.
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Merrifield, of Colorado Springs, represents District 18 in the Colorado House
of Representatives.
