As an American, a mother, and business owner, my worry should be keeping myself and my family healthy and my employees employed. However, due to the unaffordability of health insurance for myself and my team, the fear of a medical emergency is a daily reality for us. Without affordable insurance options, not only can I not afford insurance for myself, but my employees are also not covered.

In 2019, I went into diabetic ketoacidosis twice within the span of a couple months. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. After two hospital stays, I learned that I had been misdiagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes for over 20 years. Doctors had been giving me drugs to treat Type 2 Diabetes when I actually needed insulin.

I was uninsured at the time I was hospitalized because the monthly premiums were unaffordable for me. Those two hospital visits ended up costing me $75,000. After a year and a half of negotiating, I was finally able to bring the cost down to $25,000 and put myself on a payment plan.

During the negotiation process, I had to explain that if I paid the full amount I would go bankrupt. I would lose the business I had worked so hard to build. I would no longer be able to help my children pay for college, and I would probably lose my house. Even with the cost reduction, I was still making huge payments of $2,500 a month – more than my mortgage payment. The only way I could afford the payments was by using credit cards, so I am still paying medical bills, only as a different form of debt. This is not working – medical debt just ends up taking on a different form, causing an accumulation of more and more debt.

By lowering premiums a standard amount over three years, the Colorado Option is a solution that would finally make health insurance affordable for me and help me avoid racking up thousands of dollars more in medical debt. The fact that the Colorado Option also includes the small-group market means I will finally be able to provide health insurance benefits to my employees and their families.

We all need access to care through our local hospitals and providers to treat our specific needs at a cost we can afford. Unfortunately, I know firsthand what can happen when we don’t.

No Coloradan should have to live in fear of financial ruin or be unable to live a healthy life because of the cost of health care. Now is the time for our leaders to take action to ensure all Coloradans can afford the care they need to stay healthy and, in many cases, alive. We need legislators to support HB21-1232, to create the Colorado Option and ensure all Coloradans have access to quality, affordable health care.

Holly Stewart is a mother, health care consumer, and the founder and president of a financial services company in Fort Collins.