Heinz Kerry lauds health care bill (Colorado)

[ProSense]

Article Launched: 04/20/2006 01:00:00 AM MDT

legislature 2006
Heinz Kerry lauds health care bill
By Kirk Mitchell and Chris Frates
Denver Post Staff Writers


Teresa Heinz Kerry was in Denver on Wednesday to receive an award for her efforts to provide health care for working families. (Post / Karl Gehring)

Philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry told a partisan Denver crowd a health care bill that passed a Colorado House committee on Wednesday would be a creative way to provide prescription drugs to the neediest families.

Snip...

Heinz Kerry was in Denver on Wednesday to accept an award from the Colorado AFL-CIO for her efforts to provide health care for working families.

The Heinz Family Philanthropies, which is headed by Heinz Kerry, helped craft a proposal that passed a House committee Wednesday and would help more than 500,000 Coloradans qualify for discounted prescription drugs.

"I believe that this legislation represents some of the freshest, most original work on health care policy that we have seen for quite some time," Heinz Kerry said.

House Bill 1252 would create a program to provide discounts on prescription drugs for uninsured Coloradans earning less than 250 percent of federal poverty levels, or $50,000 for a family of four, and for those 60 and older.

The proposal would allow eligible individuals to apply for a "Colorado Cares Rx" card online or over the telephone. The card would entitle the holder to the same prices state employees pay when purchasing drugs, which are discounted on average about 30 percent.

more...

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_3729045?source=rss

edited to add: I love her!

[karynnj]

1. This is wonderful

and a major contrast with Bush's nightmare seniors' prescription plan. It's great to see Teresa getting credit for the work see does. What a fantastic first lady she would be.

[jenndar]

2. That's wonderful.

Very interesting that it came from the AFL-CIO, too :)

[ProSense]

3. It is!

Now how do we replicate it for everyone? ;-)

[ProSense]

5. This is posted

in GD-P:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2579796&mesg_id=2579796


Sorry! Intended to link this to the OP.

[rockymountaindem]

4. Great job! However, I would like to issue a hearty "F*ck You!!!" to all

the people who say there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. Do they think this is a conincidence that such a healthcare policy, designed to help the poor and the middle class, has emerged only after the Democrats took control of the General Assembly? I think not. While the Democrats might not say and do what we each want them to do all the time, at its core the Democratic party has not forgotten its roots and role as defenders of ordinary people.

Shall we compare this to the wonderful record bequeathed to us by the past 15 years of Republican rule over the state? What were their great ideas? Manditory counciling and a one-year waiting period for divorces (failed) and an idiotic tax policy which strangeled the state budget and rendered the state government to cope with growth and new challenges. Along with and since the Democratic takeover, we've gotten a temporary reprieve from "TABOR", renewable energy requirements (10% by 2010, I think) and mandatory spending increases on education to keep pace with inflation.

What a difference the Democratic party makes, eh?

[Mass]

6. I am happy she helps people, but honestly, the bill is just a bandaid on

the problem.