Medicaid (Health First Colorado) plays a larger role in providing health coverage to people living in small towns and rural communities in Colorado than it does in metropolitan areas, a trend that is particularly striking among children, according to an extensive analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF).
“Nearly two out of every five rural Colorado kids get their health coverage through Health First Colorado,” said Toni Sarge, Director of Child & Family Health at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “Cutting or capping Medicaid spending in Colorado would leave thousands of kids – in rural areas and across the state – without health coverage.”
The report found that in Colorado, children and adults living in rural areas and small towns are more likely than those living in metro areas to rely on Medicaid for their health insurance. Report findings included:
- 37.4 percent of children in Colorado small towns and rural areas rely on Medicaid/CHIP for their coverage, compared to 33.1 percent in metro areas.
- Among Colorado adults younger than 65, 18.4 percent of those in small towns and rural areas get their coverage through Medicaid/CHIP, compared to 14.7 percent in metro areas.
“Medicaid is critically important to the families and health care systems in rural Colorado,” said Sarge. “Across the state – but especially in rural areas – Medicaid protects families from excessive medical debt and covers a large share of residents in nursing homes, births, and maternal care. Medicaid funding also keeps our rural hospitals running. Many of these institutions would cease to exist without federal funding, leaving thousands of Coloradans without a way to access care.”
For the full report, as well as interactive maps featuring a county-level breakdown of Medicaid coverage, visit https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/01/15/medicaids-role-in-small-towns-and-rural-areas/. This report primarily relies on data from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey (ACS).
The Center for Children & Families (CCF), part of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, is an independent, nonpartisan policy and research center founded in 2005.