Colorado activists urge Medicaid hike in virus relief bill

DENVER — Colorado activists want the federal government to fund more of the state’s Medicaid program ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Several health care groups Thursday called on U.S. senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet to seek additional federal funding for Medicaid, a federal-state program for low-income and disabled Americans.

Congress increased the federal share of Medicaid spending by 6.2% to roughly 56% in Colorado in March under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The groups say more is needed. By December 2020, state Medicaid enrollment is expected to grow 42% due to the virus-induced economic downturn, according to the nonprofit Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.

Currently, more than 1.2 million Coloradans or about one in five residents depend on Medicaid, a roughly $9 billion program known in the state as Health First Colorado. One in three individuals with disabilities are covered by Medicaid in the state, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Colorado Consumer Health Initiative spokesman Adam Fox said Thursday the groups want the federal government to fund 64% of the state’s Medicaid program.

Robin Bolduc, 62 from Boulder, is the main caregiver for her husband, Bruce Goguen, 67, a quadriplegic who uses a ventilator to breathe. Medicaid pays for her husband’s long-term services including caregivers who help feed and bathe him.