Letter: Your vote on 69 will drive down health care costs

After reading about the potential for up to a 35 percent increase in health care premiums in the Roaring Fork Valley due to Humana and United Health opting out in 2017 citing not enough profit can be made, leaving Anthem the lone provider and hearing on CNBC that United Healthcare had a 23 percent increase in profit totaling $2 billion in the last quarter, I decided to do more research on Amendment 69.

Yes, it is a tax and to find out how it will directly affect you, go to coloradocare.org and hit the calculator button, inputting your individual information. Businesses will be taxed at 6.67 percent (health care currently averages 13.5 percent of payroll), individuals will be taxed at 3.33 percent with no deductibles. Also included is no pre-authorization, no co-pays for primary and preventative health, no “out of network” costs, and access to mental and substance abuse help for all Coloradans.

Colorado Care will be run by a board of trustees. These are not politicians and they will be only working for their fellow Coloradans.

Other websites I found helpful were colorado69.org that states the pros and cons of different views along with comparisons as to how other industrialized nations deal with health care, and truth-out.org that “follows the money.”

I ask you to become informed as health care costs have literally meant the difference between life and death for too many Coloradans. We all know that Colorado has been a leader in addressing national concerns and you can bet the whole nation is watching us now. Vote “yes” on 69.

Mary Robertson

Basalt