A veritable melting pot of health care, union and activist groups gathered on the west steps of the state Capitol Tuesday to announce a new effort to seek health care for all.

The announcement was part of a broader unveiling across the nation Tuesday of the Health Care for America Now campaign, which plans to demand the next president and Congress pass bills creating affordable, accessible health care.

“People are coming together to say that now is the time to demand a better health care system, one that represents our core values as a nation,” said Jane Feustel, a spokeswoman for Colorado Progressive Action who led the rally.

The Colorado coalition encompasses 16 separate groups, from the Colorado Education Association to Planned Parenthood to the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association.

State Rep. Anne McGihon also attended the rally and highlighted several bills from the past legislative session that she said will extend health care coverage to more Coloradans. But, she said, the state will have a hard time on its own greatly reducing the amount of uninsured Coloradans – a number that could be as high as 20 percent of the population.

“We can only go so far in Colorado solving that problem,” she said. “We need a national solution.”

Feustel said the coalition of groups does not have any specific policy proposal it is advancing, even though individual groups in the coalition may have their own plans. Instead, Feustel said the campaign is open to any idea that reduces health care costs and provides greater coverage to all people.