SOLUTIONS

for Western Colorado

Solutions

In decades of work as a civic leader, business owner, and community organizer here in Western Colorado, I've gotten to talk to thousands of people from all walks of life about the biggest challenges we face.

I've seen how often we share so many of the same deeply held values, moral intuitions, and hopes for our lives and our collective future.

And I've seen so often how easily we all get torn apart - called to imaginary barricades and sides where we're kept divided and rendered unable to make a difference on all the things we do agree about.

If our families and communities are ever going to create the kind of world we want to see, we need solutions that get us back into the habit of working together.

Here are some of the places I think we can start.

Healthcare Costs

Health care costs. Over my years of healthcare advocacy, I've met thousands of locals scared to go without insurance but financially unable to pay for it - up front as insurance or later through the costs of under-insurance - without sacrificing other essential activities in their lives. This is wrong and is shackling to individuals trying to save for retirement, families trying to meet basic needs and entrepreneurs who cannot start a business because they can’t afford health care insurance on their own.

A Common Sense Agenda

The community rating system contributes to our rates being 25% more here than the front range even though we live in the same state. This is wrong! I will work to combine our rates to one for Colorado and save people money.

Thousands of people are losing their employer sponsored health care due to layoff and cannot afford to get it on their own. I support laid off workers being enrolled in Colorado Health First (our Medicaid) until they go back to work.

10% of Coloradans still have no coverage. One of the big pushbacks for uninsured people getting help is that they do not have a primary doctor. I will advocate for outreach to these people to get them connected to primary doctors close to them and to get them information about Federally Qualified Health Centers who can help uninsured people. These are often the same people who walk into emergency rooms with stage 4 conditions because they could not afford to go to the doctor. This is wrong and we must have a better system.

Seniors moving to a new area often have a terrible time finding a primary doctor as practices will not accept them. I will work to move them to the top of the list for acceptance for care. They often have serious conditions that cannot wait.

Gaps in out-of-network travel imperil even the well-insured. We must work toward a health care system that covers everyone affordably everywhere they travel in the U.S.

Education

Education in Colorado is notoriously underfunded relative to competing states, hurting both our economy and our young people and denying transformative opportunities to tens of thousands of Coloradans a year.

I will work to untangle the Gallagher and Tabor fiasco that prevents us from paying our teachers livable wages and benefits, properly educating our K-12 students and making secondary education affordable.

I want to see opportunities for vocational and college students to get their first year of tuition paid for

Full day kindergarten should be continued.

Teachers that forego private sector salaries to make a difference for Colorado students are entitled to a decent retirement. PERA should be preserved and strengthened for present retirees and future ones.

Colleges should be fairly funded to keep tuition down. Students can now go to the U of Wyoming cheaper than their own state university.

Economy

Our economy is changing faster and faster. Colorado must supply the infrastructure, education and strategic stability for us to renew economic mobility and help unleash new industries and technologies.

Insurance rates are out of control in many areas besides health care.
Home rule brings stifling layers of regulation and licensing for small businesses. I will work to streamline that to jump-start business creation.
This is not the last economic or health care challenge that we are going to suffer in our lifetimes. Tackling our biggest water, food, energy, and environmental problems with public-private collaborations can create powerful new business markets and employment sectors that ensure we stop passing the buck on real action.
Local food security can help agriculture and business growth. Clean energy opportunities help create localized jobs. Creative water storage and use can help agriculture and communities. Solving environmental issues make our area more appealing to tourists, investors, and employers.

Senior Living

The good news is that Coloradans are enjoying longer, healthier lives than ever. Our systems have yet to reckon with the many new challenges our seniors face as a result, including affordable housing and access to services. Twenty-five percent of Mesa County residents are 60 and over, which changes what our communities need to offer.

Seniors are very often victims of scams – I will work to protect them from abuse and consumer scams.

Our public transportation system needs to be expanded to accommodate needs of seniors.

Nutritional security for seniors living at home is critical.

Coordination of services and streamlining communications helps seniors feel safe and get the services they need.

There is a huge demand for safe and affordable senior housing that needs to be met.

We should work toward seniors being an integral part of our community and make them feel appreciated and able to give back. Senior mental health will be an area I will support and work on.

Leadership

We are a minority party area in the state that needs to patch up relationships with the Capital. As we continue to send combative representatives to Denver who make problems instead of working to solve them, we are left out. Because our leaders prefer to throw stones instead of build coalitions, we are regularly shut out of opportunities to bridge the urban-rural divides in jobs and quality of life.

In my public work on various campaigns and issues local citizens overwhelmingly say a strong desire for leaders to quit fighting and get things done. We have big problems to deal with in preparing for the future and they will only be solved with the best solutions and not just partisan solutions. I will work to promote the best answers to problems with no holdup over which party they come from.

Independents are now the majority registration of voters in Colorado now. Their voices should be heard too, and they need to be included in our political processes.

I will commit to outreach to all parties and persuasions here. People want to know they can talk to their representatives no matter which party they are affiliated with. I will work to reach out to everyone and listen to their concerns and ideas regardless of who they vote for or support.

With our one-party system here, many citizens feel they have no say in the government and feel that the leaders are corrupt. I will work to restore faith in our government and clean up some of problems created by our system.

SCOTT BEILFUSS

HOUSE DISTRICT 55