CMS member outreach on ColoradoCare pro/cons

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 02:06 PM

Colorado faces an important vote this November about the future of the state’s health care system. Physicians will not only need to understand what the proposed constitutional amendment on ColoradoCare means for the profession, they must also be prepared to answer questions about Amendment 69 from their patients.

That’s why the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) formed a special advisory committee of your peers to develop educational documents you can use to evaluate ColoradoCare. The documents are not intended to be all encompassing, but rather the consensus of 35 physicians from across the state from different specialties, practice types, practice settings, ages and philosophical views regarding health care reform.

Your perspectives on ColoradoCare matter because if the constitutional amendment passes it will dramatically change health care financing and delivery in Colorado. On behalf of the more than 7,300 physician members of CMS, I strongly encourage you to make time to review this information carefully. In about four weeks you will put your new knowledge to work by sharing your insights and opinions on ColoradoCare in a CMS online survey. Results from the survey will be used to inform the official position that CMS takes on this initiative.

Information you need
ColoradoCare would create a new system where every resident has health care coverage financed by taxes instead of private insurance premiums. It would replace most other health insurance in the state except for Medicare and Veterans Administration coverage.

Over the last four months the CMS Special Advisory Committee on ColoradoCare has carefully developed pro/con analyses of Amendment 69 and the current multi-payer system. Find the analyses here.

Should you have any questions and to be well informed, please also consider reviewing:

• The text of the actual amendment;
• Unbiased information on ColoradoCare from the Colorado Health Institute and Ballotpedia;
• Information from proponents;
• Information from opponents; and
• CMS policies on health care reform.

Stay engaged
Thank you for carefully reviewing the CMS pro/con analyses and other information on ColoradoCare. Importantly, thank you in advance for completing the online survey in a few weeks on ColoradoCare and the current multi-payer system so that CMS can carefully consider next steps for our continued work to make Colorado the best place to provide and receive health care. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Volz, MD
President
president@cms.org