On Election Day, 80 percent of voters in Colorado rejected Amendment 69, a ballot measure that would create a first-ever, statewide single-payer healthcare system. Dubbed ColoradoCare, the program would have been a historic lurch to the left.
It is a case study for Republicans in Washington. It demonstrates that even left-wing voters support private health insurance and can be persuaded about the flaws in socialized medicine. This plays into the decision about pulling the plug on Obamacare.
Under the scheme, universal coverage would have replaced most private insurance plans. Deductibles and premiums would have become a thing of the past. Hospital visits, prescription drugs, and primary care would all be free at the point of service, although consumers would have paid for it indirectly. Nothing is so expensive as when it is free, and ColoradoCare would have been really expensive. It came with a $36 billion price tag, a massive sum that eclipsed the state’s total budget.
In the run-up to Election Day, the generic arguments for and against Amendment 69 mirrored debate that Republicans and Democrats have had for the past six years. Proponents plugged a single, streamlined system. Opponents warned of the economic burden. Ultimately, voters rejected the proposal.
When the next Congress convenes, Republicans should look west and take notes. They control the legislative and executive levers of power for the first time in a decade. There’s nothing stopping the new majority from finally amputating the Affordable Care Act.
Republicans often suffer from a performance problem. They talk a big game on the campaign trail, but lawmaking turns the GOP squeamish, especially when it requires cutting entitlements. Colorado’s example should stiffen their spines. It shows that the side effects from repeal won’t be as politically damaging as some Republicans expect. Centralized or socialized medicine isn’t popular. Even liberal voters like their private healthcare and want to keep it.
Obamacare has been an almost unmitigated disaster, not just predictable but repeatedly and amply predicted. Premiums will increase 25 percent next year, while coverage has shrunk to just one provider in some states. A fever pitch of leftist hope and change drove America to smash the market-driven system. The country has suffered from this experiment. Republicans can fix it.
Repeal will require messy parliamentary procedures and political calculations for which conservatives are unprepared. While every Republican has talking points about repealing Obamacare, few have a detailed plan. There’s no consensus on which replacement proposal they should use.
But the longer Obamacare festers, the more likely the healthcare system is to scar over. Republicans have two years to deliver on their campaign promises before the midterm elections.
Speaker Paul Ryan needs to take advantage of President-elect Trump’s mandate. He needs to lead his conference in ripping off the Band-Aid. If he needs courage, he should look to Colorado.
