Capitol Coverage

Coloradoans spend an estimated $30 billion a year on health care. Part of that expense is the $12,106 it costs, on average, to insure a family of four. Of that amount, more than $900 is what it costs to re-imburse doctors, hospitals and others for expenses associated with the 780,000 Coloradoans who don’t have health insurance.Leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties are proposing all kinds of fixes. A bi-partisan Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform has been analyzing different ideas for more than a year. We’re likely to see state lawmakers start seriously debating some potentially big changes in January.To help our listeners make sense of it all, we’ve assembled a series of stories and interviews on the most prominent reform proposals, click “Read More” to listen.A good place to get a handle on what kinds of reforms are being proposed, and how much it’s estimated they’ll cost, is here: CLICK HERE to read a summary of the five reform proposals selected by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform.To learn who is on the bi-partisan commission, and how they were selected, CLICK HERE.To read what the Commission recommended, CLICK HERE. To hear KRCC’s story about the recommendation, [CLICK HERE].We offer two pieces on the so-called “Individual Mandate” that the Commission apperas to favor.In the first, KCFR had reporter Martha Bebinger see how, after a year, the idea is working out in the only state to implement it so far, Massachusetts. [LISTEN]In this interview, Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio talks the Individual Mandate concept over with Len Nichols, Health policy director at the Washington, D.C. - based New America foundation, and Kelly Shanahan, policy director at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.[LISTEN]Another potential reform is called the “Employer Mandate,” where businesses must provide insurance for every employee….KCFR’s Andrea Dukakis produced this story about how the Employer Mandate might work in Colorado:[LISTEN]In this interview, Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio talks over the Employer Mandate with the Blue Ribbon Panel’s chairman, Bill Lindsay.[LISTEN]In addition to the Blue Ribbon Commission, Gov. Ritter has initiated his own “Dialogs on Health Care Visions and Values.” Here’s our story on what that’s all about:[LISTEN]One reform that was talked about for years and has actually been implemented is an online report card that allows people to compare different hospitals in Colorado to see how well they measure up when it comes to mortality rates and patient safety. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver:[LISTEN]To View the Hospital Report Card CLICK HERE