Colorado Ballot Initiative Would Require Companies to Provide Health Insurance

Linda Snyder

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On Tuesday, January 29th, there will be a public hearing on a proposed ballot initiative at the State Capital in Denver.

"The Fair Share Health Care Initiative" would make an amendment in the Colorado Constitution requiring companies that employ 20 or more to offer health insurance coverage to employees and their dependents.

A Colorado Springs postal worker, Chuck Bader, initially wrote the initiative as a result of working numerous jobs that didn't provide benefits. If the initiative is approved, Bader must collect 76,000 valid signatures by April 10th to get the proposal on the November ballot. Bader states that since there are a reported 800,000 uninsured Coloradans, he doesn't believe receiving support will be a problem.

Even if the ballot does win approval, Ralph Pollock who is chair of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry's HealthCare Council, exclaims that it will still undergo a big obstacle in the courts.