Jon Caldara, Colorado Media Personality and Health Care Advocate, Shares Personal Tragedy in Fight Against Obama Care

DENVER, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- One day she was sick with flu-like symptoms, the next day a CAT scan showed a malignant tumor that had metastasized to her spine. One-year old Parker Caldara died a week later after undergoing surgery to remove the cancer. Parker's six-year old brother, Chance, was born three years later with Down syndrome. He has undergone 10 surgeries to repair holes in his heart and other ailments caused by the disease.

Parker and Chance's dad, talk-show host for the "Blowtorch of the Rockies" 850 KOA Radio and healthcare advocate, Jon Caldara is sharing his children's story in the hopes of saving other parents the heartache he has endured. Caldara's experience is the reason for Amendment 63 -- a ballot measure going before Colorado voters in November. It would exempt Colorado from mandatory insurance and keep healthcare decisions in the hands of individuals instead of government bureaucrats.

"If, at the time, our country had nationalized healthcare, my daughter -- who was the love of my life -- would have had to wait weeks or months to be seen by a physician. Then, surgery would have taken another six or nine months. We would have never known what happened to my baby girl because she would have died before a doctor would have diagnosed her with cancer."

A poll conducted by USA Today and Gallup showed that many Americans believe that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed by Congress this year and signed by President Obama, will drive up overall costs and limit access to advanced medical care. "When it comes to their families, they see less gain and more pain: Pluralities say it will make coverage and quality of care worse for them."  (USA Today, March, 30 2010)

Colorado can't change federal law, but voters can amend Colorado's constitutional Bill of Rights to guarantee a right to health care choice and to stand up to D.C. Passing Amendment 63 -- the health care choice amendment -- will prevent state officials from requiring individuals to buy health insurance.

Amendment 63 would also constitutionally protect fee-for-service health care by ensuring the right to pay out of pocket for health care services and products if you so choose. Even if Colorado were to implement a single-payer health care system, Coloradans would be free to participate in voluntary exchange with a health care provider outside the system.

"When my son was one month old, he had life-saving surgery to fill a hole in his heart," explains Caldara. "If we would have had to wait for the bureaucracy to approve the critical surgery, he would have died. That is why I am fighting to keep our healthcare in the hands of individuals and not government bureaucrats."

Other states have already opted out of nationalized healthcare. Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected Obama Care in early August when they voted 71% to 29% for Prop C, which bars their state from implementing or enforcing a health insurance mandate.

Jon Caldara is available to discuss Amendment 63 and its impact on Obama Care. Caldara is president of the Independence Institute, a think tank in Golden, Colorado. He hosts a daily talk show on Clear Channel's 850 KOA Radio, dubbed the "50,000 WATT blowtorch of the West." He also hosts a weekly PBS show. For more information go to http://www.i2i.org.

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SOURCE Jon Caldara