Current Events and Highlights

Call-ins
Call: 1-267-507-0240, then enter code 941687 on your phone
(long distance rates may apply).
We are going to start having call-ins every Thursday at 7:00pm to give people a chance to ask questions about the Colorado Health Care Cooperative (our goal), Co-operate Colorado (our advocate organization), and upcoming plans and projects. These call-ins will all use the same phone number and 6-digit code. We will soon have a list of topics for the weekly call-ins on our website.

NORTHERN COLORADO IN MAY:
UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST TO CO-OPERATE COLORADO

Thursday, May 23, 7-9 PM: “Mental Health – It Takes a Village”
Harmony Library Community Room, 4616 S. Shields
(SE corner of Harmony & Shields), Ft. Collins
One in four adults in the United States experiences mental disorders in any given year. We are all affected by life’s challenges and stresses. Some we are able to manage by ourselves and within our support network. And sometimes we could use more help. Mental health services are an integral part of health care and four panelists will outline the service network in Larimer County. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Larimer County. Free and open to the public. Info: Joyce DeVaney, 970-223-0692

Friday May 10th 7:00-9:00 PM: “Exploring the Cooperative Business Model”
Ft. Collins Mennonite Fellowship, 300 E. Oak St. (across from Library Pk.) Fort Collins
Presenters:
Amanda Bybee : the Co-founder and VP of Namaste Solar, an employee-owned cooperative with 80 co-owners and offices in Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins. Namaste Solar is a supporter of the Colorado Health Care Cooperative
Carl Hammerdorfer : Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Enterprise (CASE) at CSU. An entrepreneur with twenty-five years of experience forming and launching cooperatives overseas and domestically.
Sponsored by Transition Town Ft. Collins and Ft. Collins Community Action Network (FCCan) Info: Becky Boutz, 970-493-2886

Thursday, May 9, 7 PM: “Obamacare: It Isn’t the Full Answer to Health Care Reform”
T.R. Reid returns to Fort Collins to speak at a community forum at First United Methodist Church, 1005 Stover Street. Free and open to the public.
Reid is a journalist, author, lecturer and documentary filmmaker. His best-selling book The Healing of America and Frontline documentary “Sick Around the World” launched Reid into a national role describing ways to provide health coverage for every American. Info: Kevin Mabry, 970-689-7432

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It seems that our leaders in Colorado, both in the business community and in the Republican and Democratic parties, are able to stare unsustainability in the face and shrug. It may be that the current health care system just works too well for those who are running the show to allow awareness of the cliff we’re sliding over.
The Colorado Health Care Cooperative, a business model through which all Colorado residents would be members and own how we pay for our health care, was introduced in this session of the Colorado legislature. An economic analysis shows that it would reduce overall health care spending by more than $5 billion in its first year of operation, reduce the costs of health care to businesses significantly, while providing comprehensive, affordable coverage to all Colorado residents.
The support in the legislature just wasn’t there, not even to study it further.
Fortunately, Colorado is one of the states that has a citizens’ initiative process. Over the next year, the signatures will be gathered to get the Colorado Health Care Cooperative on the ballot in November 2014. Let the people of Colorado decide.
For more information, go to co-operatecolorado.org.
Bill Semple, Boulder
This letter was published in the May 8 edition.

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Lawmaker Pushes for Universal Health Care
Most residents would pay less under proposal. State Sen. Irene Aguilar wants Coloradans to imagine a day when 80 percent of them see their health-care costs drop.
March 30, 2013, The Durango Herald
 
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