I read with interest in the July 3 Colorado Statesman “Déjà vu all over: a preview of government-run health care,” a misleading piece about the ColoradoCare health care proposal from “guest contributor” Michael Fields. I couldn’t help wondering how many readers saw the tiny line identifying him as the Colorado state director of Americans for Prosperity, the tax-exempt, yet extremely well-funded (by the Koch brothers) right-wing organization that has consistently opposed health coverage reform – in favor of the old, unfair system that left so many Americans uninsured. However, what is more important is that the piece includes glaring inaccuracies, and uses political scare tactics when a broad majority of people would actually benefit from ColoradoCare, a unique Colorado plan for Colorado’s unique needs.

For starters, Mr. Fields mistakenly said ColoradoCare would “give the state complete control” over the healthcare system, when he could have read the truth in the text of the initiative. It says “ColoradoCare is not an agency of the state and is not subject to administrative direction or control by any state executive, department, commission, board, bureau, or agency.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it?

The board of directors for ColoradoCare would be elected by the people of Colorado, who are the owners of this new payment system. And, while ColoradoCare would be one of several payers financing health care, all of the health care providers would be independent – not employed by the state.

Mr. Fields then attempted to scare readers with the cost, while conveniently leaving out the benefit. What we need to know is that Coloradans currently spend about $49 billion annually for health care. Varied governmental sources contribute $24 billion. The rest of us already pay the $25 billion difference privately, but we do it in such a complicated, convoluted fashion that 30 percent of our health dollars are wasted. That’s why we pay so much and yet have Coloradans with chronic disease who still can’t afford their medicines or see the doctors they want.

There are a few general areas in which Mr. Fields and I might agree. First, implementation of the Affordable Care Act has been difficult, and we need to fix parts of it. But few of us would choose to deny people with pre-existing conditions access to health care, and the ACA ensures that discrimination will not occur.

Second, he fairly called out glitches and audit irregularities with Connect for Health Colorado, our health benefit exchange, but incorrectly labels it as a “government-run” entity. Connect for Health was established as a non-profit entity at the request of Colorado’s business community. The Federal government provided start up funding with limited state oversight, but Connect for Health is actually run by a non-governmental CEO selected by its board of directors.

Nonetheless, we can do better. Starting in 2017, the ACA allows states to opt out and design their own health care system. Colorado can REPLACE without a need for repeal. ColoradoCare is an effort to do just that.

ColoradoCare asks everyone to contribute to health care like we do roads, education, fire or police protection. This gets rid of the waste and provides great access to coverage for everyone. No more deductibles. No more co-insurance. Limited, low-cost co-payments.

And let’s be clear – the costs for insurance are highest in our rural areas, which have not had the economic stabilization of the Front Range. Some rural counties have a 36-percent uninsured rate and many Coloradans living in these areas can’t afford their deductibles and copayments – we’ve forced them to purchase underinsurance.

Coloradans care about other Coloradans. We want to be sure those who are older, have serious diseases, or are disabled can get the quality medical care that they need without bankrupting themselves. We are fiscally conservative. A 10-year economic analysis estimates that ColoradoCare would decrease the state portion of health care GDP from a projected 19 percent to 14 percent. That’s an extra 5 percent of GDP available to contribute to our economy.

These are numbers Americans for Prosperity and the Koch brothers don’t want you to see. They have devoted mountains of money and resources to preventing health care reform, and actually stood up for the tobacco industry – a major factor in health care costs, if only because of its links to cancer – to fight against smoking bans in restaurants and bars, and tobacco taxes that help fund anti-smoking campaigns, during the last decade.

Don’t be fooled by rhetoric. Educate yourself. Decide if you want to let Colorado REPLACE the ACA with our own design for health care that is both fiscally conservative and socially just. I say ColoradoCare YES!

For more information, see: http://ColoradoCareYES.co

State Sen. Irene Aguilar, MD, represents Denver’s Senate District 32 and is a Democrat. She sits on the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Business, Labor & Technology Committee and the Colorado Health Insurance Exchange Oversight Committee.