Young and low-income Coloradans can’t find homes. Rural hospitals might close. Welcome to Colorado, where legislators could waste another year without resolving two of the biggest legislative dilemmas of the decade.

If the public does not know affordable housing and hospitals are big concerns in the 2017, it is because state politicians and journalists use the wonkish descriptors “construction defects law” and “hospital provider fee.”

In the simplest terms, Republicans want a proliferation of condominiums, townhouses and other varieties of affordable dwellings throughout Colorado. Reducing the cost of housing requires growing the supply of entry-level homes.

To facilitate a supply sider’s vision of affordable housing, Republicans want legislation to protect builders from lawsuits. One fundamental bill that never gets traction would create a resolution process, in which builders would have the opportunity to address and alleviate complaints before getting dragged into court.

Democrats routinely oppose efforts to reduce “defects” lawsuits because they count trial lawyers among their core constituents and donors. They believe entry-level homeowners must retain the right to litigate without jumping through hoops.

Just as Republicans want affordable housing, Democrats want health care for uninsured, indigent patients. To compensate hospitals for indigent care, Colorado collects a “hospital provider fee” from hospitals, and the state uses the money to obtain federal matching funds. The fees and matching funds are returned to hospitals based on a formula.

Read more at The Colorado Springs Gazette.