The shift from no-fault auto insurance to a tort system has led to lower insurance rates, as much as 27 percent lower, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Center.

The problem, many say, is that the transition from a no-fault insurance system three years ago to a tort system has changed the way emergency medicine is financed in Colorado.

The problem with the system, though, is that the insurance of the at-fault driver is responsible for paying a victim's medical bills. As a result, insurance companies won't pay trauma-care providers until fault is determined, a process that can take months and may involve court battles.

Before the change, Colorado was among the 10 most expensive states in the nation when it came to auto insurance. Now, it has dropped to the middle of the pack.

But critics say the new system has resulted in fewer drivers carrying medical coverage on their auto insurance policies. That, some say, means that ambulance services and hospitals are not collecting enough money to cover the cost of treating drivers involved in traffic wrecks.

A bill defeated several weeks ago sought to address the issue by requiring drivers to carry medical insurance on automobile policies, a step that could have raised rates from $150 to $700 a year.

Hagedorn hopes that SB221 will be viewed as a less costly alternative that can help make a dent in what some estimate is $84 million a year in unreimbursed costs to emergency medical providers.

Klein and others who want a funding source for trauma care say they will continue working with Hagedorn to see if they can come up with a better solution.

But any better solution is probably going to hit Colorado drivers in the wallet one way or another, and some lawmakers say they won't go for it.

The advent of new, cleaner-running vehicles has caused some to question whether the program is needed. It is set to expire on Jan. 1, and lawmakers seem to be leaning toward letting it disappear.

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