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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2007-12-07

Sure, the Post and Romanoff SOUND Reasonable in December . . . 

. . . but will they live up to those promises in January?


More than a month before the Colorado legislature opens its 2008 session, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are already trading health care proposals.

It's a welcome dialogue and we were particularly happy to see the open spirit in which the GOP initiatives were greeted by House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver. . . .

One plan promoted by commission members would expand public programs such as Medicaid and require individuals to purchase health care coverage or face a tax penalty. The state would subsidize insurance for low-income families, at a cost of up to $1.1 billion per year.

The Republican alternatives outlined Monday focused on allowing uninsured Coloradans to buy cut-rate health care policies without the mandated coverages that now add to insurance costs in Colorado. Another GOP plan would provide additional services to Coloradans with developmental disabilities.

Romanoff said Democrats would wait until the 208 Commission's final report in January before locking in their own plans, but promised that Republican ideas would be given fair hearings. His response is both fair and wise. While the speaker has promised that health care will be the top priority in the upcoming legislature, the staggering costs of the 208 Commission proposals may rule them out. . . .

Thus, the stop-gap health care solutions now proposed by Republicans may be the beginnings of something that could help buy time for Colorado to address our urgent needs in education and transportation while preparing to join in a new federal-state partnership to reform America's health care system as early as 2010.

For the Democratice leadership to listen to Republican proposals would be welcome, indeed. The problem is, there is no history of that sort of collaboration that would make me confident that that will happen.

Which makes me wonder if the the Post will write a scathing criticism when Republicans get left out of the room.
Posted by: Michael / 12/07/2007 01:24:00 AM

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