Every Coloradan deserves access to the health care they need to maintain their health and well-being. But even before the pandemic, folks were struggling to afford the cost of health care, forcing far too many people to make impossible choices between caring for their health and putting food on the table.

 

No one should ever have to make that kind of decision, which is why I will always advocate for measures to expand access to affordable and equitable healthcare for all, including mental healthcare.

 

This year, we made a historic $450 million investment to help transform our behavioral health care system to better meet the needs of Coloradans with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. We also took action to codify the right for all Coloradans to access abortion and reproductive health care, improve health care access in rural areas, ensure frontline health care workers have the support they need, and more.

 

I’m also committed to ensuring that Puebloans have access to specialty care, and that we have a sufficient number of qualified health professionals to serve patients right here at home. That’s why I wrote a bill that eliminates licensure fees for nurses.

 

There will always be more work for us to do to improve health care access and affordability, and I won’t stop fighting until every Coloradan has access to the health care they need and deserve.