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Two-thirds of Colorado doctors refuse or limit basic Medicare patients
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Health care
Colorado Public News: Survey: Two-thirds of Colorado doctors refuse or limit basic Medicare patients
A survey of Colorado primary care doctors found most are reluctant to take a new patient on basic Medicare, the government health insurance for people 65 and over.
Denver Post commentary: Why Obamacare works: Four reasons
Routine preventive care can save lives. Extending coverage to young adults. Elimination of annual, lifetime caps. Affordability for small businesses.
Also: Denver Post commentary: Why Obamacare is good for America
Our Colorado News: Suthers dissects the health-care bill
One of 26 state attorneys general suing the federal government over the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, John Suthers spoke about the case Feb. 16 at the Teller County's Republican Party headquarters.
Fiscal policy
Westword: Film incentives bill clears first hurdle, passes House committee
At a two-hour hearing (Thursday), lawmakers heard from several people in favor of the bill -- and one opposed. Ali Mickelson of the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute called the incentives "an expensive tax giveaway." She cited studies of other states' programs that found film rebates cost more money than they generate. That money, she said, could be spent on more worthy things, such as child care for working families and early childhood education. "How many teachers, police and firemen are we willing to lose?" she said.
Fort Collins Coloradoan editorial: TABOR challenge carries its own risks
Taking tax-and-spend decisions away from voters would undermine trust in government.
KUNC-radio: Farm Bill Reauthorization Closely Watched in Colorado
The sweeping federal farm bill that allocates billions of dollars to subsidy and other agricultural programs is up for reauthorization later this year and Colorado Republican Congressman Cory Gardner is gathering input from farmers and ranchers across his Fourth Congressional District this week.
Family economic security
Aurora Sentinel editorial: State lawmakers must move past erroneous reasons to deny in-state tuition for needy kids
Many of these children grow up in local public schools, graduate and have the opportunity to make huge strides in their own lives, the lives of their families and their communities if they go to college. Colorado residents pay rates half or even less of what non-residents pay to go to college in Colorado.
The national scene
Kaiser Health News: Hospitals Demand Payment Upfront From ER Patients With Routine Problems
Last year, about 80,000 emergency-room patients at hospitals owned by HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, left without treatment after being told they would have to first pay $150 because they did not have a true emergency.
Think tanks
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Conference Agreement Far Better For Unemployed Workers and UI System Than Original House Bill
The conference agreement on legislation that continues federal emergency unemployment insurance (UI) gives unemployed workers a far better deal than UI legislation that the House passed last December. It also rejects extreme proposals in the House bill that would have changed the essential character of the UI system, which policymakers created in 1935 to provide financial assistance to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
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