Reform Pays in Colorado, Denver post

Posted by CHPRE Staff Publications Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Introduction:

Coloradans cannot turn on the television without coming face to face with the health care reform debate in Washington. But with so many conflicting messages from different interest groups, it is hard to know what to believe.

Over the past year, the New America Foundation, along with the Center for Colorado’s Economic Future at the University of Denver, conducted a study called The Future of Colorado Health Care. Its purpose was to make sense of the chatter and to answer one fundamental question: Do the economic benefits of health care reform in Colorado outweigh the costs? The answer, we determined, is yes.

Even after accounting for the economic cost of financing reform, this new study demonstrates that it will pay off for Coloradans to expand health coverage and improve the way that care is delivered.

Health care reform will stimulate the economy and create jobs. After considering the taxes necessary to finance reform, we found that expanding coverage to all Coloradans would lead to $3.8 billion in new economic output and 23,319 jobs. This is because a $1 investment in health insurance coverage leads to more than $1 in new economic activity.

“Reform Pays in Colorado,” Denver Post, December 6, 2009.

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