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May 31, 2011

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Governor's veto of Senate Bill 11-213 is a victory for working families

 

Gov. John Hickenlooper today vetoed Senate Bill 11-213, a measure that would have imposed premiums on participants in the Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) program with family incomes of 206 percent to 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

 

Elisabeth Arenales, director of the Health Care Program at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, issued the following statement in response:

 
"The governor's veto of Senate Bill 11-213 was a victory for working families. Our state badly needs more revenue to support vital services, including health care for our most vulnerable residents. But this proposal was looking for revenue in exactly the wrong place -- families already teetering on the edge of economic security. Senate Bill 11-213 would have pushed these families farther away from long-term security. It's regrettable the Legislature approved that approach, but thankfully Governor Hickenlooper took a broader view. By ensuring more children will get needed medical treatment, he's giving them a better chance at a successful future.

 

"An estimated 2,400 children would have lost health coverage had this measure become law. Remember, the parents of these children are often struggling to make ends meet. The Child Health Plan Plus program is generally the only public support these families receive. Access to medical care can make the difference between a healthy, productive life or a fall into long-term poverty. With his veto, the governor recognized that adding to the number of children with no access to medical care doesn't help any of us."

 

Media contact:

Perry Swanson

pswanson@cclponline.org

Mobile: 719-232-4458

 

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