Standing Up for the Public Option by Andrew Romanoff, candidate for U.S. Senate from Colorado

[Better Believe It]

Standing Up for the Public Option
By: Andrew Romanoff
Andrew Romanoff is a Democratic primary candidate for the U.S. Senate in Colorado.
March 22, 2010

As Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, I led the fight against insurance companies that unreasonably delay or deny their customers’ valid claims. I know first-hand the lengths that industry will go to resist reform. I am deeply disappointed to learn that no member of the U.S. Senate is willing to offer an amendment to restore the public option to the health care bill.

Millions of Americans cannot afford to keep up with the soaring costs of health insurance. That is why a majority of the American people support a public option. The Congressional Budget Office has concluded that a public option will reduce the deficit. Last week I called on the leadership of the U.S. Senate to allow an up-or-down vote on the public option. We should not allow the insurance industry to kill the competition the American public wants.

A Record of Leadership

Thousands of Coloradans have been forced to do battle with their insurance companies just to get coverage they’ve already purchased. In 2008, I fought the insurance industry and won. The result: a new law that requires insurers to pay what they owe when they owe it – and stiffens penalties on those who don’t.

I voted to reduce Coloradans’ prescription-drug prices, by pooling our purchasing power with other states. I supported efforts to supply rural Coloradans and other underserved communities with greater access to care, by investing in local health clinics and expanding the use of telemedicine. I also authored laws to:

My leadership has been recognized by Colorado’s leading health and human service organizations, including the Colorado Psychological Association, the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the Colorado Dental Association, the Colorado Community Health Network, the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the Colorado Association of Alcohol and Drug Service Providers, Peer Assistance Services, Crossroads Turning Points, and Advocates for Recovery. In 2006, the Colorado Medical Society named me Defender of the Patient –the physicians’ highest honor.


US Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/36746

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1. The missing text :)

I also authored laws to:

* Help Colorado’s seniors get the care they need in their own homes and communities;
* Save millions of dollars in state medical expenses by holding private insurers to higher standards of accountability;
* Make contracts between health-care providers and insurers more transparent;
* Provide health coverage – including access to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, mental health services, and drug and alcohol treatment – to thousands of Coloradans.

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2. K&R