Small Business opposes single payer healthcare for Colorado - Vote NO on SB11-168

March 4, 2011

The Honorable State Senators

Re: SB11-168 Colorado Healthcare Cooperative

Dear Senator,

On behalf of the Colorado Republican Business Coalition (“CRBC”) I urge you to vote NO on SB11-168 when it comes to the Senate floor for a vote.

The ultimate end of this bill is the creation of a single payer health care cooperative. The first two sentences of the Bill Summary states, “The bill creates the Colorado health care authority. Its mission is to design the Colorado health care cooperative to be the benefits administrator and payer for health care services.”

Since the cooperative would be positioned to be the sole payer in Colorado for health, dental, vision, hearing, Medicare, Medicaid and workers compensation medical services, it would have the following effects:

• Destroy the private medical, dental, vision and workers compensation market in Colorao
• Result in the loss of 25,000+ health insurance based jobs in Colorado
• Precipitate the loss of $200 million of health insurance premium taxes paid to Colorado each year by commercial insurers
• Cause some of the best and brightest doctors to leave Colorado rather than have their fees dictated by a monolithic government plan
• Limit consumer choice by forcing everyone into a one size fits all plan
• Require an 8.1% increase in the state income tax and a 6% employer payroll tax (based on the Governor’s 208 Commission actuarial studies)

Respectfully,

Christine Burtt, Chairman
CO Republican Business Coalition