Colorado may not be the first in the nation to suggest it, but supporters of universal healthcare got a shot in the arm in mid-February when two local representatives introduced a bill that would study the feasibility of such a system, according to a March 9 Denver Post report.
Approximately $277,000 would be allocated to researchers at the University of Colorado to fund the effort and come up with more data about the plausibility of a system that would remove deductibles and copays while improving health access to Coloradans, the report said.
Voters largely rejected a similar move in 2016 when a single-payer program called Colorado Care was on the ballot. That move was expected to cost about $36 billion annually and would have been largely funded by a 10 percent payroll tax, according to the report.
Legislators in 21 states filed a total of 66 single-payer bills between 2010 and 2019, the report said.