Colorado Doctors Tell Attorney General Suthers That The Lawsuit Puts Politics before Patients

Today, Colorado Doctors for America members released a letter expressing outrage at Attorney General Suthers for joining a 20 state lawsuit to block implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). More that 60 physicians and medical students in Colorado signed a letter stating the lawsuit will harm their patients by delaying Medicaid funding and slowing the implementation of the PPACA in their state.

“The lawsuits are a distraction from the real work ahead of us to make sure all of our patients have access to affordable, quality health care”, said Dr. Vivek Murthy, President of Doctors for America. “Instead of wasting taxpayer money on politically tainted lawsuits, we need our elected leaders to focus on implementing health reform to ensure our patients get the care they need when they need it.”

There are over 790,000 uninsured in Colorado. The new law will finally put health coverage within reach for these Colorado families by prohibiting denial or higher premiums for those with pre-existing conditions, providing subsidies to families and small businesses to purchase insurance, and creating competitive state exchanges where consumers are in control of their health coverage – not insurance companies.

“Every day more patients tell me they can’t come in for health care or get their medicines because they can’t afford or can’t qualify for insurance. The PPACA holds promise for these patients, but the lawsuit is likely to delay or eliminate their chance for insurance access here in Colorado,” said Dr. Carol Blackard, Colorado Doctors for America member.

Doctors for America is a grassroots group of over 16,000 physicians with a presence in all fifty states committed to building a better health care system through reform. The group works to convey the ideas and experiences of physicians in order to achieve health reform that provides high quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans.