For just a moment, forget the politics of health care reform — they won’t go anywhere, I promise. Picture a low-income family able to stay safe and whole, because a parent can afford to see a therapist for anger. Think about what it would be like if fewer people ended up in prison, and more of them in jobs, because they were able to get help for mental illness and addiction earlier in life.

Your friend was struggling to stay in treatment for depression, but kept falling out when her yearly allotted visits were through; now she can remain in therapy for as long as she needs, and you’re not worried anymore about checking in with her every morning. Imagine a future where alcoholism takes fewer lives, where fewer mothers and fathers overdose in front of their kids; where suicide is no longer the second leading cause of death for Coloradans under the age of 35. Click here to read the full by Michael Lott-Manier.