Following the collapse of Colorado’s health care co-op, created under the Affordable Care Act, and a period of deep uncertainty for the insurance exchange established under the same law, the state appears to be throwing in the towel on the president’s signature legislative achievement. Unfortunately, however, the Centennial State is not interested in implementing free market reforms, but will instead vote on a ballot measure to establish a single-payer health care system within its borders. Coloradans collected more than 150,000 signatures to put the idea—going under the name of ColoradoCare—on the November, 2016 ballots as “Initiative 20.” The proposal would be funded by a new 10 percent payroll tax.
