Health-care bills prepared for ’06 legislative session

The passage of Referendum C earlier this month gives some breathing room to state Legislators and organizations pushing for several bills related to health care during the next legislative session.

But the measure, which allows the state to keep and spend up to $3.7 billion over the next five years, rather than refunding it to taxpayers as mandated by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, isn’t a permanent solution to the state’s budget woes, some legislators said.

“We are drowning, and with C, we’ll be treading water,´ said State Rep. Jim Riesberg, a Democrat who represents east Greeley, Garden City and…