Last night, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would cause Colorado children to lose health coverage and make it harder for families to afford medical care, food, and other basic needs.
This bill cuts federal spending on programs that support kids and would create new strains on our state’s budget. If it passes, Colorado will struggle to support K-12 education, early childhood, and other programs that help kids learn, grow, and flourish – and that help make our communities work for everyone.
Investing in kids’ well-being pays off – but this bill prioritizes tax breaks for well-off adults at the expense of our ability to care for children.
Four of Colorado’s congressional representatives voted to support this bill, which passed by one vote.
- In Rep. Lauren Boebert’s district, nearly 45,000 children were enrolled in Medicaid in 2024 and over 9,000 households with children received SNAP
- In Rep. Jeff Hurd’s district, more than 78,000 children were enrolled in Medicaid and nearly 18,000 families received SNAP
- In Rep. Gabe Evans’ district, more than 86,000 children were enrolled in Medicaid and 16,500 families received SNAP
- In Rep. Jeff Crank’s district, 65,000 children were enrolled in Medicaid and more than 13,000 households with children received SNAP
The Colorado Children’s Campaign calls on our state’s senators to oppose these cuts and create a budget that helps kids and communities thrive.
“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. “Even one child losing the ability to go to the doctor or have enough to eat is one child too many – and this bill will likely result in thousands of Colorado children going without.”
“We can be proud of our efforts to make sure children can get food and medical care when they need it,” she said. “Cuts at this scale will lead to real, negative changes in Colorado’s ability to provide a wide range of services and supports for all of our state’s children, now and in the future.”
Things to know about federal funding and Colorado kids
- Federal funding has played a critical role in helping Colorado meet the basic needs of children in our state.
- The bipartisan advocacy group First Focus on Children estimates that current budget proposals could end 30% of our nation’s investment in children and nearly 50% of its investment in babies and toddlers.
- Federal support for Medicaid has helped bring Colorado’s uninsured rate for children below 5% – down from 13% in 2013.
- Nearly 580,000 Colorado children are enrolled in Medicaid. Medicaid covers about two in five births in the state.
- The families of about one in four Colorado children use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help afford groceries.
- More than 15,000 kids have health coverage through Cover All Coloradans, which provides coverage regardless of immigration status. Regardless of the fact this program is funded entirely by state dollars, this bill would penalize Colorado with a significant drop in federal funding if Colorado continues to offer it.
- The new bill would likely raise premiums for families who get their health coverage through Colorado’s health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado. These changes could return us to a situation where health insurance is unaffordable for many middle-income families.