Center for Health Progress is proud to endorse Colorado Families for a Fair Wage, a common sense campaign to increase the minimum wage in Colorado to $12 an hour by the year 2020. If approved by voters in November, Amendment 70, a 2016 ballot measure, will improve health outcomes and economic security for many Colorado families.
Center for Health Progress works to create opportunities and eliminate barriers to health equity for Coloradans. In order to realize our mission, we support public policies that decrease personal and structural barriers to health, including policies that reduce poverty. By increasing pay for hard work, we create greater opportunity for Coloradans to afford health care services when they need it, transportation to reach health care appointments in a timely manner, and nutritious foods and other choices that contribute to healthy lives. Importantly, we know that 12.1% of full-time workers at this income level did not fill a prescription due to cost, compared to 9.8% of the average Coloradan. Earning additional dollars per hour would put more within reach of needed and appropriate health care, ultimately reducing overall health care costs.
Additionally, valued members of the health care workforce would directly benefit from an increase in their hourly pay, including but not limited to: paramedics, home health workers, community health workers, and others. In total, this amendment is estimated to affect nearly 500,000 Coloradan workers across many sectors beyond just health care.
Amendment 70 is a step toward more equitable, healthier lives for all Coloradans and Center for Health Progress is proud to join the Colorado Families for a Fair Wage campaign.