Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) held its ninth annual Healthcare Day of Action on Thursday. The event connected consumers with legislators and helped give them the tools to engage in the healthcare issues that matter most to them.
The event this year was focused on lobbying against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act as well as maintaining the Connect for Health Colorado insurance marketplace.
The day started with speaker Lt. Gov. Donna Lynn (D-Colorado), who was followed by a panel of health care experts to educate attendees about how simple it is to get involved at state level politics and have their voices heard on healthcare policy.
Participants were then given the opportunity to put their new knowledge into action. They headed to the State Capitol in order to lobby their representatives in favor of various protections for access to care.
The event culminated in a rally on the Capitol steps.
Colorado Times Recorder reached out to Adam Fox, Director of Strategic Engagement for CCHI, for comment.
“A lot of people don’t realize how easy it can be to communicate with our legislators especially at the state level, so that is really the purpose of the day is. It gives constituents an opportunity to lobby of the healthcare issues that are important to them.
There were a lot of new faces there this year, I heard from a lot of folks that were there to learn the process, because they want to get more engaged. That was really exciting to see. We always have some new faces that come to the events, but I think this year in particular there were a lot of new folks that came out to learn the process and participate.”
Fox stressed the importance of connecting consumers with lobbying opportunities to make their voices heard on policy decisions. He cited the speakers as a great strength of the event, as there were able to provide the tools and knowledge for consumers to lobby effectively.
