Obamacare

Bob Semro's piece comparing the Affordable Care Act to the Masachusetts model  (Straight talk on health care reform: Comparing the Affordable Care Act and the Massachusetts model) was posted as part of Viewpoints on the Kaiser Health News website.

By Kevin Simpson
The Denver Post

Colorado plans to expand Medicaid coverage next year to cover more than 160,000 additional low-income adults, aided by cost-control savings of more than $280 million over the next 10 years, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Thursday.

"This is a step toward what we have talked about for a couple of years: How can we make sure we're making Colorado the single healthiest state in America?" Hickenlooper said.

Today, Gov. John Hickenlooper announced plans to proceed with expansion of Medicaid in Colorado as part of the Affordable Care Act. Beginning in 2014, Coloradans will be eligible for enrollment in Medicaid if their annual incomes are less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level – $30,657 per year for a family of four or $14,856 per year for an individual.

By Bob Semro

The closest real-world example to the Affordable Care Act is the health reform plan implemented in Massachusetts in 2006. Even though the ACA has a 50-state focus, the plans are very much alike. To get an idea of how the ACA might work, it's useful to look at the Massachusetts experiment.

We are very pleased with today's Supreme Court ruling. After months of uncertainty, Coloradans now have the security of knowing they will have access to quality, affordable health care.

Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, there was a staggering gap between Americans who had access to affordable health care and those who did not. The act's reforms are bridging that gap and will help to secure health care coverage for all Americans.