Gov. Polis, Lt. Gov. Primavera Unveil 2020 Health Care Roadmap

DENVER - Today Gov. Polis and Lt. Gov. Primavera released an updated 2020 Roadmap to Saving Coloradans Money on Health Care to reflect the progress made over the last year to lower health care costs for Coloradans. The governor and lieutenant governor first released the roadmap in April of 2019. They were joined by state lawmakers and advocates at the state capitol today.  

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last year in partnership with Republican and Democratic legislators to help save Coloradans money on health care, but there’s more work to do,” said Governor Jared Polis. “Everywhere I go people tell me they are tired of getting ripped off on health care, which is why reinsurance, hospital transparency, lowering prescription drug costs and the public option are important tools to lowering prices and putting money back into the pockets of individuals and families. As long as the sky-high cost of health care continues to be a point of anxiety for Coloradans, saving people money on health care will be a priority for our administration.”

The updated Roadmap to Saving Coloradans Money on Health Care reflects the successes of 2019, which are already saving Coloradans money on health care, including designing a Colorado health insurance option, establishing a reinsurance program, negotiating to drive down the cost of health insurance, ending surprise billing, pursuing a waiver to import prescription drugs, and more.  

“Our efforts to lower health care costs for Coloradans doesn’t end with the work we’ve done over the last year,” said Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera. “I’m proud to lead the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, because people are truly at the heart of everything we do. As a four-time cancer survivor, I know firsthand what it’s like to worry about whether or not you can pay your medical bills while supporting your family. I was fortunate to have access to incredible care and we want to ensure that’s true for everyone in our state. I look forward to tackling the work that lays ahead.”

One out of five Coloradans forgo health care because of cost and one in three either cannot fulfill a prescription, cut pills in half or skip doses due to cost. That’s why the Polis administration remains committed to working with the legislature and stakeholders to provide a public option program to lower premiums on the individual market, reduce prescription drug costs by importing prescription drugs from Canada and increase prescription drug transparency, and develop affordable, accessible behavioral health care options for all Coloradans. Read the updated roadmap here. 

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