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States take practical path on exchanges

When the Affordable Care Act was debated in Congress, the House of Representatives wanted one federal exchange and as much federal control of state insurance markets as possible. The Senate wanted state insurance exchanges and state flexibility to tailor market rules to local market conditions.

You can read the complete Op-Ed article through this link States Take Practical Path on Exchanges.

Despite the ongoing attempts of House Republicans to kill President Obama’s health-care reform law, the history of America’s intense debate over ratifying the Constitution should make us optimistic about the law being accepted, improved, and implemented.

“Battle Over Health Care Reform: Vital Lessons from America’s Founding Fathers,” Christian Science Monitor, February 24, 2011.

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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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“Imagine the three leaders campaigning together across the state for a historic health reform plan that would cover all Californians, spread the financing burden equitably, and lay the foundation for a more efficient health-care system.”

“On California’s Quest for Health Reform,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 30, 2007 (with Leif Wellington Haase).

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“Individual mandates (with subsidies) satisfy both liberal and conservative objectives and deserve respect, for they can lead to the comprehensive reform we so desperately need.”

“Where’s Obama’s Mandate?” American Prospect Online, June 4, 2007.

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“For true reform to succeed, each side must see its own vision realized inside the ultimate compromise. Negating the far right’s phobia of tax increases and the far left’s compulsion to punish successful capitalists are thus prerequisites.”

“Enable a Moderate Health Care Solution,” Washington Post.com, September 30, 2006.

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 “California employers understand that the costs of doing nothing on healthcare may put them out of business.”

“Mr. Businessman, Help Heal the Sick,” Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2006.

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“New York needs either a heavy dose of anti-anxiety medication or an honest solution to the growing health-care mess.”

“Prescribe a Smart Fix for New York Health Care,” New York Daily News op-ed, May 25, 2006.

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“The reality is that our economy does not generate enough jobs that can support a living wage and health benefits anymore.”

“Wal-Mart Bill is No Solution,” Baltimore Sun op-ed, January 12, 2006.

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