The Senate Democrats today approved a bill to inflate the size of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care reform, over strong Republican opposition.

"This bill is about stacking the commission, and fixing the result," said Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, R-Colorado Springs. "It destroys the credibility of any work product that this commission puts out."

The committee, known as the “208 Commission” after the senate bill that created it last year, currently has 24 members, evenly balanced between Republican and Democrat appointees. The bill approved today, Senate Bill 104, would allow three additional Democrat appointees.

Republicans charged that rather than offering health care solutions, the Democrats

seem content with more committees and more studies.

“Maybe we need to run a bill at some point or a study where we decide the effectiveness of a committee,” said Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs. “I believe the larger a committee, the less effective it will be.”

“At some point, we need to accept the fact that a committee is no substitute for action,” he added afterwards.

Critics of the bill also charge that changing the partisan balance of the commission was disingenuous, and would undermine the credibility of the commission’s report.

“There was great effort to have equal members appointed by the [original] Republican appointing authorities and Democratic appointing authorities – that’s not the case in this bill,” said McElhany.

“This bill changes that balance dramatically, and I think that’s a mistake,” he added.

McElhany afterward pointed out that Republicans have offered a number of health care proposals to “move the ball forward, today.” Proposals include making it easier to deduct out-of-pocket health care costs from income taxes, and establishing a comprehensive online marketplace called a “connector.”

“[House Minority Leader] Mike May and I will be carrying a bill later this session creating a ‘health care connector’ to match every Coloradoan with the right benefits plan for them, private or public,” McElhany said.

“I wonder if the majority is willing to pass this proposal, or will be blocking it in favor of more committees and meetings,” he continued.