Health care costs are the #1 issue for working families of Colorado.

As a licensed Pharmacist, I would be the only Health Care Professional elected to the Colorado Senate. My experience makes me uniquely qualified to help address the ever-rising costs of prescription medication and medical treatment. Coloradans should not feel forced to choose between rationing life-saving medication and filing bankruptcy. 

The Three Biggest Drivers of Health Care Costs Are:

• Prescription Drug costs: I have authored and passed two of the leading bills in the country to lower the cost of medications. The Prescription Drug Importation from Canada Law and the Pharmacy Education Act will start to make an impact in 2020.

• Hospital Costs: Colorado has some of the highest hospital costs in the country. I co-sponsored the Out of Network Costs Bill that will reduce the impact of surprise billing on patients. 

• Insurance Premiums increases: I am a co-sponsor on the Colorado’s Reinsurance Law; the average Coloradan will now save 11% to 18% on 2020 insurance plans.

What’s coming next?

• With bipartisan support and a 49-12 vote in the House, I have introduced a bill that will ban retroactive fees charged to our pharmacies by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), the middle-man vendors. These fees have caused rural pharmacies to go out of business. This bill will keep community pharmacies open and keep drug prices down. 

• I will be proposing and co-sponsoring Affordability, Transparency and Regulatory bills that will reduce drug costs for patients and prevent hidden fees from popping up.

• Additionally, I will be supporting Paid Family Leave for Colorado workers so they may take a paid leave of absence to care for a loved one who is ill, or to welcome new family members through birth or adoption.  My wife is a hospice nurse, and I have seen through her eyes how important family connection is to healing; sometimes healing requires the medicine of the heart.