"This is just the beginning..."

We received this press release from ColoradoCareYES and are sharing it in its entirety below. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on this campaign -- it's far from over!

For Immediate Release
November 9, 2016

ColoradoCareYES Celebrates Historic Campaign
Amendment 69 Changes the Conversation About Health Care in Colorado, U.S.

DENVER - Volunteers and supporters from the ColoradoCareYES campaign gathered to celebrate the culmination of an historic campaign on Election Night.  A capacity crowd filled the Molly Brown Room at the Westin Denver Downtown to watch the results come in and celebrate a campaign that exceeded all expectations.

"Today, Colorado made history," spokesperson and primary architect of Amendment 69 Senator Irene Aguilar, MD told the crowd early in the evening.  "Win or lose, the issue of guaranteed access to health care for everyone without financial barriers was finally brought before the voters.  And it came in the only way possible -- through the hard work of dedicated volunteers. We could not and did not wait for politicians to get the courage to do the right thing."

The campaign fell short in its primary goal of securing universal health care for all Coloradans through a YES vote on Amendment 69.  It was, however, undeniably successful in achieving the first step in that two-step goal.  ColoradoCareYES stood toe-to-toe with the multi-billion-dollar corporate insurance industry and achieved universal agreement on the frustration and dissatisfaction with the current system.  Even the harshest critics and strongest voices for the opposition could not -- and did not -- attempt to defend the status quo of a health care payment system that prioritizes corporate profits over the well being of the people of Colorado.

"Our current health care payment system is broken, leaving over a million Coloradans without the care they need when they need it," campaign spokesperson and public health nurse Senator Jeanne Nicholson said to supporters.  "The rest of us are paying too much for the care we get.  As my spunky Irish grandmother used to say, 'We can do better.'  With Amendment 69, we can do better."

The "Medicare-for-All" type plan succeeded in putting Colorado at the forefront of the national discussion on health care reform.  It was the most talked about issue on the ballot over the course of the past year, and it attracted national attention, with media outlets across the country and around the world identifying Amendment 69 as one of the most ambitious and significant measures American voters considered this year.  Other states are already talking about learning from ColoradoCare and launching their own similar efforts.

Voters in Colorado scrutinized the current corporate insurance system in a way they've never been asked to do before, and in the process of educating themselves about the status quo system, they recognized its flaws.  Amendment 69 prompted Coloradans to search for a solution, and the ColoradoCare plan offered a viable plan to consider.  The 18-month statewide discussion was remarkably civil and informative, strengthening the convictions of supporters and illuminating areas for improvement as activists return to the task at hand.

"Until every Coloradan has health care, and we pay for it fairly and responsibly, we have yet to take it all the way," Director of Operations Lyn Gullette said Tuesday night after the results were clear.  "I hope each of you joins with me, and we'll take it all the way. "

Supporters responded with enthusiastic cheers and a deafening chant of, "All the way!  All the way!"  By Wednesday morning, there were already new volunteers signing up to join the ongoing efforts through the campaign's website.

"We've achieved a lot -- we've changed the whole conversation about health care in the state of Colorado," author, filmmaker, and campaign spokesperson T.R. Reid said.  "We found hundreds of thousands of supporters in 64 counties who believe in the notion that if one of our neighbors is in pain, too sick to go to work, we ought to provide her health care when she needs it.  People who thought we were stuck with the insurance companies and stuck with our rotten health care system now realize there's a way out.  There's a better way, and we've shown it to them, and we're going to pass it."

As the quest for truly universal health care in Colorado moves forward, the ColoradoCareYES campaign is eager to work with individuals and organizations who opposed the measure while reiterating the fact that they believe in universal health care and want a better solution for Colorado.  The time has come for those who criticize both the corporate insurance industry and ColoradoCare's solution to get to work and craft a reasonable plan to cover all Coloradans with full and equal access to quality care at an affordable cost.  The overwhelming agreement on the need to improve our health care payment system bodes well for the people of Colorado.

"This is just the beginning," Senator Aguilar promised.

For more information on Amendment 69, please visit www.ColoradoCare.org.

Published November 15th, 2016

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