Betty Boyd
For State Senate
Health Care
In my 8 years in the Colorado State Legislature, I have focused on finding ways to provide quality, affordable health care to all of Colorado’s citizens. I believe that a good life begins with quality health care, and that every person in Colorado should have resources to make them healthy and keep them that way. In the State House of Representatives, I chaired the Health and Human Services Committee and if re-elected, hope that my leadership on the issue will allow me to chair the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
Nurse Staffing Levels
Nurses serve on the front lines of health care. They provide the first care and the most sustaining care to people in hospitals and in health care clinics and doctor’s offices. Last session, when nursing staffing levels reached a critically low point, I carried, and the legislature passed, legislative research into the best ways to include and workplace issues in hospitals. This legislation allows nurses a seat at the table when discussing patient care to assure the best health for all Colorado’s citizens.
Covering Kids
One barrier to quality health care is lack of health insurance. In Colorado, over 600,000 people live without health insurance. This last session, I carried, and the legislature passed, legislation to streamline enrollment in the Medicaid program for children. By streamlining the enrollment process, 100,000 children who are currently eligible can enroll in Medicaid. But healthy children need healthy parents, so next year, I’d like to continue this work and focus on adults without health insurance.
Medical Home for Kids
If you have a private health plan, your records probably stay with your primary care physician who can coordinate your care. Until last year, parents of children on Medicaid had to coordinate their children’s care themselves. Last year, I carried, and the legislature passed, the “Medical Home for Kids” which will assure coordinated care for children in care in one clinic or provider designated as their "medical home". This means that properly-trained medical professionals coordinate the care that Colorado’s children deserve.
Home Care
Many of Colorado’s citizens prefer to delay entry into nursing facilities and receive services at home. For these people, in-home care providers help them with daily needs and medical care. Because these in-home caregivers provide a lifeline to many of Colorado’s most vulnerable people, they must be properly trained and licensed. Last year, I carried, and the legislature passed, legislation to create standards and licensing for agencies that employ in-home caregivers to guarantee this vulnerable population the best possible care.
Emergency Contraception
If a woman is sexually assaulted, she has a small window of time in which to assure that she does not become pregnant as a result of this heinous and violent act. Currently, her option generally lies with emergency contraception which prevents pregnancy even after the fact. I believe that by reducing unwanted pregnancies, we can reduce the need for abortion. So last year, I sponsored, and the legislature passed, a bill to require hospital emergency room staff to inform women about emergency contraception as a routine part of care following a rape. The patient may then make informed decisions about her health care.
Health Insurance
Choices for Business
Prior to 2006, health insurance companies could only offer one plan to employees of a small business based upon the size of the business, not the insurance needs of its employees. In 2006, I carried, and the legislature passed, legislation which allowed insurance companies to offer Colorado’s workforce several different products so they could choose which was best for themselves and their families.
