Hospital fee draws some GOP support

But one Republican calls it "immoral," saying if Dems want it, they must raise taxes.

By Lynn Bartels
The Denver Post

State Rep. Spencer Swalm hammered a bill Wednesday that expands health coverage by imposing a fee on hospitals, calling it "irresponsible and immoral" and a "house of cards."

"We're shifting the costs of our health care problems onto our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren because we're not willing to man up and raise the taxes that are required to do a pay-as-you-go kind of system," Swalm, R-Centennial, said.

OK, so I know it's wimpy to oppose war. Last year we learned from the Senate that real men cut school funding to pay for more highways (that's when I first heard the term "man up", but this is new: tough guys, and gals I guess, raise taxes?

Several Democrats looked at one another, stunned. Did a Republican just say the "t" word?

"He didn't just say 'taxes'; he said 'man up and raise taxes,' " said Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder.

"I vowed to spend the weekend pumping iron and come in on Monday with a tax increase."

Both Pommer and Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, said they were shocked to hear Swalm mention taxes.

"I'm not advocating increased taxes. But if we want a program, we need to pay for it now instead of doing deficit spending," Swalm said afterward, noting that the bill relies on matching funds from the federal government, which is running a deficit.

Apparently there's a distinction here. It's manly to borrow money and run a deficit to pay for war, but girly-manish to use federal deficit spending to pay for health care.

House Bill 1293 would generate an estimated $600 million from hospital fees. The money would draw an equal amount in federal matching funds, and the $1.2 billion total could be used to expand the reach of Medicaid, the Child Health Plan Plus, or CHP+, and indigent-care programs to at least 100,000 more Coloradans.

Not exactly. $600 million of the total goes back to the hospitals to reimburse them for the fee. (You didn't think they were doing this out of compassion, di you?). Another $200 million goes back to hospitals by increasing the amount Medicaid pays them for treating people. The last $300 million will expand the number of people eligible for Medicaid.

The bill passed on a 40-23 vote, with three Republicans — Laura Bradford of Collbran, Don Marostica of Loveland and Tom Massey of Pagosa Springs — joining with Democrats in passing the measure.

The bill now goes to the Senate.