DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis sent a dire warning to Colorado's congressional delegation about the impact Medicaid cuts could have on the state.
He said hundreds of thousands of people would lose their health insurance, and thousands of other Coloradans could lose their jobs, causing the state to experience economic disaster.
Colorado Congressman Jeff Hurd, a Republican representing the 3rd District, was among a dozen Republicans who sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and other U.S. House leaders, urging them to avoid cutting Medicaid.
"We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations," they wrote. "Cuts to Medicaid also threaten the viability of hospitals, nursing homes, and safety-net providers nationwide. Many hospitals—particularly in rural and underserved areas—rely heavily on Medicaid funding, with some receiving over half their revenue from the program alone. Providers in these areas are especially at risk of closure, with many unable to recover. When hospitals close, it affects all constituents, regardless of healthcare coverage."
Colorado Medicaid patients have been speaking out in recent weeks, urging lawmakers not to cut the program.
Many Medicaid patients who are worried about cuts have participated in protests and town halls and flooded Congress's phone lines to share their concerns.
Jean Sisneros serves as the board chair for STRIDE Community Health Center. She worries Medicaid cuts could jeopardize the health center's funding.
Because of that funding, the health center is able to provide care to a lot of people without insurance.
"Medicaid is not just a line item in a budget, it's a lifeline," she said. "It's the difference between getting medication or rationing it. It's the difference between catching an illness early or facing a life threatening crisis."
Sisneros said the health center helped her and she wanted to be "a voice for countless other mothers, fathers, children, seniors and people who rely on community health centers to survive, to heal, and to hope."
On Monday, Polis and Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera sent a letter to the state’s congressional delegation warning that cuts to Medicaid would result in “hundreds of thousands of Coloradans” losing their health insurance.
“Children, hardworking individuals, people with disabilities, seniors, and safety net providers are not political pawns or talking points,” they wrote. “These cuts would mean losing access to lifesaving care with devastating consequences.”
“We wanted to just make sure that they understood where we were at,” Primavera told Denver7 on Tuesday. “Our fear is that hundreds of thousands of Coloradans would stand to lose their healthcare coverage if Republicans in Congress make the cuts that are proposed."
The governor and lieutenant governor said Colorado could lose as many as 12,000 jobs, $1.3 billion in economic productivity, and $82 million in state and local tax dollars in 2026.
They said the state's entire care system would be affected, from front-line workers to rural hospitals, which they say would close.
They said thousands of people in the state would be pushed into medical bankruptcy, and insurance rates would increase for Coloradans who aren't on Medicaid.
"This isn't anything we want for the people of Colorado,” said Primavera.
The U.S. House Republican budget plan directs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid and several other federal programs, to identify $880 billion in savings to help pay for President Trump's agenda.
It doesn’t specifically call for cuts to Medicaid, as Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans pointed out in a video he posted on X in late February after voting to advance the GOP’s budget resolution.
"This bill does not set any specific policies directing cuts to any specific program to include Medicaid,” said Evans.
In a statement to Denver7 on Tuesday, Evans pushed back against Polis’ letter.
“Once again, Polis is misrepresenting the facts,” said Evans. “I don't support cuts that harm Colorado providers or patients – I support removing waste and fraud.”
Many Republicans say all they want to do is eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid.
Evans also noted that Colorado has experienced its own issues with Medicaid spending.
“On Polis’ watch, millions in Medicaid dollars have gone to deceased individuals and illegal immigrants,” Evans said. “If the governor is truly concerned about impacts to Coloradans, he should focus on fixing the broken system in his own administration instead of pointing fingers.”
Evans is referring to an audit released in February that found Colorado spent millions on Medicaid patients who were dead.
The governor and lieutenant governor acknowledged the state’s challenges in their letter.
“The State of Colorado continues to be committed to eliminating inefficiencies and inappropriate Medicaid spending,” they wrote. “To that end, our Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), the state’s Medicaid agency, will continue to advance efforts to tackle overbillings, fraud, waste, and abuse through multiple initiatives.”
Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, dismissed Evans' concerns about the state’s problems.
“It’s not an intentional problem, and it is being fixed,” Fox said.
He said his focus remains on the potential cuts Congress could make to Medicaid, and he doesn’t buy Republicans’ argument that eliminating waste and fraud can generate much of the savings in their budget plan.
"The reality is there's nowhere near the level of waste, fraud, and abuse that gets them to $880 billion in cuts. It is not possible,” said Fox. “There's no way to get to that number without terminating coverage for millions of Americans."
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce could begin their work identifying cuts as early as next month.
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