It’s been an eventful start to the 2025 legislative session for the Colorado Chamber with early developments of legislation impacting business. This week, we’re watching SB 45, a familiar proposal that seeks to create a study and report on the creation of a universal, single payer health care system in Colorado.
A similar proposal was aggressively opposed by the Colorado Chamber last year, making it onto our Job Killers list for the session. The bill was ultimately defeated in the final days of the legislative session. While the proposal looks slightly different this year, its impact is the same.
SB 45 would require the Colorado school of public health to analyze draft model legislation for implementing a single-payer, nonprofit, publicly financed and privately delivered universal health care payment system for Colorado that directly compensates providers. Under the bill, the Colorado school of public health would then submit a report detailing its findings to the general assembly by December 31, 2026.
While the bill starts out as a study, the intent is to reach a predetermined outcome, setting the foundation for implementation statewide. Similar legislation has recently passed in the state of Oregon, which has been estimated to cost $20 billion in new taxes, including a $12.3 billion employer payroll tax.
The Colorado Chamber has long been opposed to mandates that will increase costs on health care industries, employers, and their employees. Colorado’s health care system is already strained, and SB 45 would lay the groundwork to completely disrupt the state’s health care industry, threatening jobs and the livelihoods of taxpayers who would foot the bill.
The Colorado Chamber’s health care policy council took an opposed position on the bill this week. The bill has been referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and it awaits its first hearing.