Common Sense Unfiltered

On this episode of the Common Sense Digest, we discuss the debate surrounding the proposed Colorado Public Option for Healthcare. Considering our healthcare system has never been tested the way it has during this unprecedented global pandemic, it’s worth considering and discussing in depth the likely impacts a public option for healthcare coverage would have on our system, our state budget, and our quality and access to healthcare services.

Joining our host, Chairman of Common Sense Policy Roundtable, Earl Wright, are Cameron Niakan with the consulting firm Guidehouse, who, along with CSPR Director of Policy and Research Chris Brown, have written an in-depth analysis of HB20-1349 in a report titled: “The Colorado Option Plan: Modeling the Impacts of Government Price Controls in Health Care.” Joining them is Dave Davia, CEO of Colorado Association of Mechanical and Plumbing Contractors and CSPR Board Member. Dave is very involved with many public policy matters, and in this particular discussion he brings a very valuable perspective as someone who manages a very large employer sponsored health plan offered across his 160 member companies.

As COVID-19, along with its attendant health and economic consequences, continues to dominate our collective consciousness, this episode of Common Sense Digest shares the latest facts and figures concerning the continuing economic impact of COVID-19.

Joining us is the University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, an entrepreneur, small business owner and a member of the CSPR Board of Directors to discuss all things education and the path to economic recovery. She discusses the impact on the University of Colorado system and shares the work of Job Creators Network in assisting businesses through the crisis.

Also on the show is Dan Norberg, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Region VIII Administrator based in Denver. In this role, he oversees the delivery of the agency’s small business programs and services in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Montana. He discusses the staggering number of loans the SBA processed as part of its Paycheck Protection Program and what’s next.

Lastly, we’ll hear from CSPR Director of Policy and Research Chris Brown on CSPR’s latest report: Is Colorado’s Budget Ready for a Recession? Colorado’s Revenue Outlook Has Rapidly Changed from Record Highs to a Potential $3 Billion Shortfall

In this episode of the Common Sense Digest, our Chairman Earl Wright leads a discussion about the topic at the forefront of our collective consciousness: COVID-19. This week, CSPR released a new analysis, Observations on the Economic Impact of COVID-19 in Colorado. This analysis is part of an ongoing effort to model the data and better understand the economic impact on our economy and the state budget. You can read the full study, find resources, references and forthcoming analysis of the COVID-19 crisis at https://commonsenseinstituteco.org/covid19/.

Earl is joined, first, by Chris Brown the study’s author and Director of Policy and Research with the Common Sense Policy Roundtable who discusses the findings of his study. Earl is then joined by State Representative Colin Larson of District 22, which encompasses the southern Jefferson County communities of Bow Mar, Columbine, Dakota Ridge, Ken Caryl, and Littleton. Rep. Larson provides insight into the status of the 2020 legislative session.

In the inaugural episode of the Common Sense Digest, our Chairman Earl Wright leads a discussion about one of the hottest issues facing state lawmakers; a proposed public option for health care. Joining Earl are the two authors of the most recent CSPR study, which was released this month. The study concerns the potential unintended consequences of a public option, and poses key questions that remain unanswered, yet should be crucial for the ongoing debate.

First is Rick Rush is the Managing Partner and founder of the health care consulting firm GERICK. Rick is a health care actuary with over 30 years of experience within the industry ranging from employee benefits consulting at Aon Hewitt and Towers Watson, to being a court-appointed rehabilitator/liquidator of insolvent HMOs, and most recently Executive Director of Actuarial Services at Kaiser Permanente Colorado.

Second is Chris Brown is the Director of Policy and Research with the Common Sense Policy Roundtable.