JOINT RELEASE: General Assembly Dems Oppose GOP Bill to Strip Health Care from Coloradans and Raise Costs
GOP bill will cut food assistance and kick Coloradans off their health care
DENVER, CO - General Assembly Democrats today sent a letter to Colorado’s congressional delegation, calling on them to oppose President Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ plan to kick Coloradans off their health care and cut food assistance to provide tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
In the letter, the General Assembly Democrats wrote:
We strongly oppose President Trump’s and Congressional Republicans’ tax ploy that will kick Coloradans off Medicaid and cut food assistance to give tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. The legislation threatens the Colorado way of life by making it harder for hardworking families to put food on the table and access medical care. Under the ruse of “cutting waste, fraud and abuse,” the bill is nothing more than tax cuts and deregulation for the richest people in our nation at the expense of those most in need.
To our Democratic Senators and Representatives, we are proud that you strongly oppose this cruel legislation that will kick Coloradans off their health care and increase costs and hardship for everyone except the ultra wealthy. If the Senate passes this bill, we hope Representatives Gabe Evans, Jeff Hurd, Jeff Crank and Lauren Boebert do what is right for Colorado, vote no when it returns to the House, and use their power to protect health care for Coloradans instead of taking it away.
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Jeff Hurd, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Jeff Crank, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Brittany Pettersen and Rep. Gabe Evans:
We strongly oppose President Trump’s and Congressional Republicans’ tax ploy that will kick Coloradans off Medicaid and cut food assistance to give tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. The legislation threatens the Colorado way of life by making it harder for hardworking families to put food on the table and access medical care. Under the ruse of “cutting waste, fraud and abuse,” the bill is nothing more than tax cuts and deregulation for the richest people in our nation at the expense of those most in need.
Colorado is a donor state, which means we pay more in federal taxes than we receive back in federal funding. As state lawmakers tasked with fighting for Colorado, we are taking a stand. Coloradans want their federal dollars working for them in our clinics, hospitals, and food pantries – not frozen by Washington bureaucrats or lining the pockets of billionaires.
Kicking qualified Coloradans off Medicaid
The Republicans’ plan will have devastating effects on every sector of Colorado’s health care system. Colorado hospitals, clinics, and other providers could lose up to $990 million in annual federal Medicaid funding. We made responsible choices in a tight budget year to protect Medicaid coverage for our most vulnerable community members and to provide emergency financial support to safety net providers, but this level of cost shifting will be too much for the state budget to bear.
Proposed cuts to Medicaid will result in an estimated 140,000-230,000 Coloradans suddenly losing health care coverage (11-18 percent of current Medicaid participants). Preventive health care coverage provided through Medicaid saves Coloradans money and leads to better health outcomes. The burdensome administrative barriers proposed in this bill, such as more frequent redeterminations and increased paperwork, will mean that Coloradans who are qualified for Medicaid coverage will have a difficult time receiving it or affording it.
The Republicans’ budget also requires new copays for low-income Coloradans, increasing medical costs for families with incomes as low as $22,000 per year. This will force hardworking Coloradans to delay necessary procedures or care and ultimately rely more on emergency room care, straining rural and other hospitals that are already near the breaking point.
If this bill passes, critical health care facilities will close their doors, and it will jeopardize access to life-saving care for everyone. The bill prohibits federal reimbursements to Planned Parenthood for family planning and preventive care like screenings and tests, which will disproportionately impact lower-income women and people of color. By placing restrictions on premium tax credits, this bill will also increase insurance costs for Coloradans and undermine insurance coverage for life-saving reproductive health care, including abortion.
Choosing billionaires over hungry kids and hardworking families
A drastic and unnecessary overhaul of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and Program (SNAP) will drive up state and county costs in Colorado by approximately $260 million annually. The Republican’s bill also creates higher eligibility requirements for food assistance programs, making it harder for Coloradans over 55 and families with children between 8 and 18 years old to receive the support they need. The Biden administration increased SNAP benefits by 21 percent in 2021, which kept 3 million people out of poverty. The Republicans’ bill blocks that administrative power altogether.
To our Democratic Senators and Representatives, we are proud that you strongly oppose this cruel legislation that will kick Coloradans off their health care and increase costs and hardship for everyone except the ultra wealthy. If the Senate passes this bill, we hope Representatives Gabe Evans, Jeff Hurd, Jeff Crank and Lauren Boebert do what is right for Colorado, vote no when it returns to the House, and use their power to protect health care for Coloradans instead of taking it away.
Signed,
Colorado State Senators and Representatives
House Speaker Julie McCluskie, House District 13
Senate President James Coleman, Senate District 33
House Majority Leader Monica Duran, House District 23
Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, Senate District 32
Senator Judy Amabile, Senate District 18
Senator Matt Ball, Senate District 31
Senator Jeff Bridges, Senate District 26
Senator Lisa Cutter, Senate District 20
Senator Jessie Danielson, Senate District 22
Senator Lindsey Daugherty, Senate District 19
Senator Tony Exum, Sr., Senate District 11
Senator Julie Gonzales, Senate District 34
Senator Nick Hinrichsen, Senate District 3
Senator Iman Jodeh, Senate District 29
Senator Cathy Kipp, Senate District 14
Senator Chris Kolker, Senate District 16
Senator Janice Marchman, Senate District 15
Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Senate District 21
Senator Kyle Mullica, Senate District 24
Senator Dylan Roberts, Senate District 8
Senator Marc Snyder, Senate District 12
Senator Tom Sullivan, Senate District 27
Senator Katie Wallace, Senate District 17
Senator Mike Weissman, Senate District 28
Senator Faith Winter, Senate District 25
Representative Shannon Bird, House District 29
Representative Andrew Boesenecker, House District 53
Representative Kyle Brown, House District 12
Representative Sean Camacho, House District 6
Representative Chad Clifford, House District 37
Representative Regina English, House District 17
Representative Cecelia Espenoza, House District 4
Representative Lorena Garcia, House District 35
Representative Lindsay Gilchrist, House District 8
Representative Eliza Hamrick, House District 61
Representative Jamie Jackson, House District 41
Representative Junie Joseph, House District 10
Representative Sheila Lieder, House District 28
Representative Mandy Lindsay, House District 42
Representative William Lindstedt, House District 33
Representative Meghan Lukens, House District 26
Representative Javier Mabrey, House District 1
Representative Matthew Martinez, House District 62
Representative Tisha Mauro, House District 46
Representative Karen McCormick, House District 11
Representative Amy Paschal, House District 18
Representative Jacque Phillips, House District 31
Representative Naquetta Ricks, House District 40
Representative Manny Rutinel, House District 32
Representative Gretchen Rydin, House District 38
Representative Emily Sirota, House District 9
Representative Lesley Smith, House District 49
Representative Katie Stewart, House District 59
Representative Rebekah Stewart, House District 30
Representative Tammy Story, House District 25
Representative Brianna Titone, House District 27
Representative Alex Valdez, House District 5
Representative Elizabeth Velasco, House District 57
Representative Jenny Willford, House District 34
Representative Steven Woodrow, House District 2
Representative Yara Zokaie, House District 52