MEDIA RELEASE
Thurs., May 22, 2025
CONTACT: Adam Fox, afox@cohealthinitiative.org, (303) 563-9108
Jenny Davies, jenny@progressive-promotions.com, (720) 296-9545
Congress Votes to pass “Big Ugly Bill” and Gut Medicaid and the ACA, Betraying the American People
U.S. House passes budget reconciliation bill with largest cuts to Medicaid in history.
Denver – While most Americans were sleeping, Colorado’s Republican Representatives voted for the U.S. House budget bill that will slash over $700 billion from healthcare and Medicaid, harming hundreds of thousands of Coloradans to help subsidize tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations; 70% of the bill’s tax benefits go to the top 5% while costs go up for the bottom 40% of Americans. Last-minute amendments to accelerate the implementation of unworkable and punitive work requirements and expand provisions meant to strangle the Affordable Care Act marketplaces passed, but Representatives did not have an updated and complete score of the bill or its impacts from the Congressional Budget Offices before the vote.
“Colorado’s Republican Representatives have chosen to pass massive cuts to healthcare in the dark of night to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-rich and big corporations, ” said Adam Fox, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative deputy director. “Under this bill, hundreds of thousands of Coloradans on Medicaid and ACA plans will lose health coverage. This bill is shameful, and will leave people sicker and without healthcare, including those fighting cancer, older adults in nursing homes, people living with disabilities, veterans, children, low and moderate-income families, and small businesses/entrepreneurs. We will see everyone’s access to care worsen as clinics and hospitals reduce services or are closed altogether and this will deal a big blow to our economy and communities across the state.”
Representative Evans and Hurd’s districts have the highest percentage of residents covered by Medicaid (24 and 29% respectively) and still voted in favor of this “big ugly bill.” In 60 of 64 counties, over 30% of children are covered through Medicaid/CHP+, and in 14 counties, it is more than 40%. Medicaid covers 61% of Coloradans in nursing homes and is a lifeline for many older residents who depend on in-home or long-term care.
“Colorado is uniquely positioned to suffer from these craven tax cuts for reasons that stem from TABOR, which doesn’t allow our elected officials to raise revenue to cover any of the federal program cuts. It hasn’t allowed Colorado to remedy underfunded and fragmented state computer systems that will make changing eligibility requirements a nightmare to implement. It has starved our government-funded healthcare systems to a breaking point, and with these cuts people will have nowhere to go,” said Chris deGruy Kennedy, Bell Policy Center President and CEO. “Make no mistake. These federal cuts will cause real harm in Colorado and people in desperate need of care will go without.”
“Every faith tradition requires us to treat others as we would want to be treated. Not one of us would want to be denied care when sick or injured,” said Judy Danielson of Together Colorado. “Nor would we want barriers to be put in our way, like new cumbersome work requirements. It is heartrending to see the lack of care in this bill, not only for those who happen to be poor, but also for the communities that will suffer as clinics and hospitals may have to close and providers become over-stretched.”
This bill will add yet more administrative hurdles and barriers to the 1.1 million Coloradans covered through Medicaid and cost Colorado money it doesn’t have. The package makes cuts by adding red tape and administrative cost and barriers for all Medicaid enrollees, even if they have an exemption. This will lead to delays and denials of healthcare for thousands, and ultimately, will lead to preventable deaths. Colorado lost half a million people from coverage during the Medicaid unwind in many cases due to the already challenging redetermination process. This bill adds punishing administrative barriers to an already complex system.
“More than 575,000 Colorado children get health coverage through Medicaid. We can be proud of our efforts to make sure children can get important medical care when they need it. This budget bill will be bad for kids’ health, bad for the financial stability of families and communities, and bad for the quality and efficiency of our government,” said Toni Sarge, Director of Health Policy at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “Medicaid is an essential part of our healthcare system. Cuts at this scale will result in children losing access to essential medical care – and to real, negative changes in Colorado’s ability to provide a wide range of essential services and supports for all of our state’s children, now and in the future.”
Overwhelmingly, the people covered by Medicaid who are able to work, do so, with at least 92% of Medicaid enrollees working, living in a nursing facility, living with a disability/illness, attending school, or providing care to a family member. The remaining 8% includes people who are retired or are unable to find employment. Medicaid is the only health care program that provides long-term care, services, and supports—helping older Coloradans and those with disabilities live and thrive in their communities.
“Given Colorado’s unique model of county-administered Medicaid enrollment and verification, implementation of work requirements like the one proposed in this bill would be even more challenging for Colorado than it would be for other states.” said Christina Walker, Senior Policy Manager of Healthier Colorado. “The administrative burden of work requirements will ultimately result in hundreds of thousands of Coloradans losing essential health benefits.”
The bill also blocks reproductive health care providers, including Planned Parenthood, from serving patients enrolled in Medicaid. In Colorado, approximately 15,000 patients who receive birth control, annual wellness exams, and STI and reproductive cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health centers will lose their primary care provider. Nationally, 1 in 3 women have received care at Planned Parenthood.
“This callous bill will force patients to choose between paying rent and getting a cancer screening. It will push parents to skip their own care so their children can be seen. These are not hypotheticals, we see these choices play out every day in our health centers,” said Adrienne Mansanares, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. “Medicaid is a lifeline, and these cuts will ripple through entire communities, especially in rural and underserved areas where Planned Parenthood may be the only provider. We are bracing for the harm this will cause, and will continue to fight for every patient, no matter their income, background, or zip code.”
Many additional Coloradans will lose coverage because of provisions that will increase out-of-pocket premiums through the Affordable Care Act, and those that stay enrolled will see higher out-of-pocket costs if they seek care. This will cut into record enrollment in recent years through Connect for Health Colorado, leaving more people uninsured and further undermining our healthcare system, hospitals, and providers ability to keep their doors open and provide the care Coloradans need.
Protect Our Care Colorado is a coalition of organizations in Colorado advocating to protect the health care of Coloradans. To learn more about the coalition, visit ProtectOurCareCo.org
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