Slamming 'Absurd' US Healthcare, Sanders Backs Single-Payer in Colorado
"It's hard to imagine a figure whose support of ColoradoCare is more meaningful than Senator Sanders"
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) this week endorsed a Colorado ballot measure that would create single-payer healthcare in the state, urging his supporters to rally around the amendment and stating, "If that proposal can win in Colorado, I believe that idea will spread around the country."
"It is absurd, it is beyond belief, that here in America we remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people," Sanders said at an event in Vermont on Wednesday, where he offered his official endorsement.
As the Denver Post reports, Colorado Amendment 69--known colloquially as ColoradoCare--would create a universal healthcare system funded by payroll taxes that would largely replace private health insurance. People could still choose to keep their own, although they would still be required to pay the tax.
Support for the measure from Sanders carries a lot of political weight; not only was universal healthcare a cornerstone of his presidential campaign--one of the signature issues that endeared him to progressive voters--but he also won the Colorado caucus in March.
Owen Perkins, a spokesperson for the ColoradoCareYES campaign, said in a statement this week that "It's hard to imagine a figure whose support of ColoradoCare is more meaningful than Senator Sanders."
"No one has done more to elevate the idea of Medicare-for-all in the United States in recent years, and by bringing the notion of universal healthcare into stadiums, auditoriums, town halls, and living rooms throughout the country, Senator Sanders has helped create the ideal environment for passing ColoradoCare," Perkins said.
If Colorado approves the amendment, it will be the first state in the nation to implement single-payer healthcare. And as Health Care for All Colorado executive director Donna Smith told Common Dreams in November, that could have national implications, because "we are not relying on the elected officials to advance universal healthcare."
"This may be a way for other states to learn from our work in Colorado and also pursue single-payer reform at the ballot as a way to overcome some of the political inertia that settles in when so many powerful, monied interests hold court over the legislative process," Smith said at the time. "The ballot measure...is about much more than achieving healthcare justice. It is also about citizens coming together and using the democratic process to successfully achieve healthcare justice."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) this week endorsed a Colorado ballot measure that would create single-payer healthcare in the state, urging his supporters to rally around the amendment and stating, "If that proposal can win in Colorado, I believe that idea will spread around the country."
"It is absurd, it is beyond belief, that here in America we remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people," Sanders said at an event in Vermont on Wednesday, where he offered his official endorsement.
As the Denver Post reports, Colorado Amendment 69--known colloquially as ColoradoCare--would create a universal healthcare system funded by payroll taxes that would largely replace private health insurance. People could still choose to keep their own, although they would still be required to pay the tax.
Support for the measure from Sanders carries a lot of political weight; not only was universal healthcare a cornerstone of his presidential campaign--one of the signature issues that endeared him to progressive voters--but he also won the Colorado caucus in March.
Owen Perkins, a spokesperson for the ColoradoCareYES campaign, said in a statement this week that "It's hard to imagine a figure whose support of ColoradoCare is more meaningful than Senator Sanders."
"No one has done more to elevate the idea of Medicare-for-all in the United States in recent years, and by bringing the notion of universal healthcare into stadiums, auditoriums, town halls, and living rooms throughout the country, Senator Sanders has helped create the ideal environment for passing ColoradoCare," Perkins said.
If Colorado approves the amendment, it will be the first state in the nation to implement single-payer healthcare. And as Health Care for All Colorado executive director Donna Smith told Common Dreams in November, that could have national implications, because "we are not relying on the elected officials to advance universal healthcare."
"This may be a way for other states to learn from our work in Colorado and also pursue single-payer reform at the ballot as a way to overcome some of the political inertia that settles in when so many powerful, monied interests hold court over the legislative process," Smith said at the time. "The ballot measure...is about much more than achieving healthcare justice. It is also about citizens coming together and using the democratic process to successfully achieve healthcare justice."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) this week endorsed a Colorado ballot measure that would create single-payer healthcare in the state, urging his supporters to rally around the amendment and stating, "If that proposal can win in Colorado, I believe that idea will spread around the country."
"It is absurd, it is beyond belief, that here in America we remain the only major country on earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people," Sanders said at an event in Vermont on Wednesday, where he offered his official endorsement.
As the Denver Post reports, Colorado Amendment 69--known colloquially as ColoradoCare--would create a universal healthcare system funded by payroll taxes that would largely replace private health insurance. People could still choose to keep their own, although they would still be required to pay the tax.
Support for the measure from Sanders carries a lot of political weight; not only was universal healthcare a cornerstone of his presidential campaign--one of the signature issues that endeared him to progressive voters--but he also won the Colorado caucus in March.
Owen Perkins, a spokesperson for the ColoradoCareYES campaign, said in a statement this week that "It's hard to imagine a figure whose support of ColoradoCare is more meaningful than Senator Sanders."
"No one has done more to elevate the idea of Medicare-for-all in the United States in recent years, and by bringing the notion of universal healthcare into stadiums, auditoriums, town halls, and living rooms throughout the country, Senator Sanders has helped create the ideal environment for passing ColoradoCare," Perkins said.
If Colorado approves the amendment, it will be the first state in the nation to implement single-payer healthcare. And as Health Care for All Colorado executive director Donna Smith told Common Dreams in November, that could have national implications, because "we are not relying on the elected officials to advance universal healthcare."
"This may be a way for other states to learn from our work in Colorado and also pursue single-payer reform at the ballot as a way to overcome some of the political inertia that settles in when so many powerful, monied interests hold court over the legislative process," Smith said at the time. "The ballot measure...is about much more than achieving healthcare justice. It is also about citizens coming together and using the democratic process to successfully achieve healthcare justice."