Source: 9News
If Republicans cut Medicaid, the two congressional districts that stand to lose the most in Colorado are represented by those Republicans: Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd.
The U.S. House narrowly passed a Trump-backed budget resolution Tuesday that promises more than $4 billion in tax breaks, but Democrats and some crucial Republican holdouts worry it will come at the expense of cuts to social services like Medicaid. Congress spent hours debating the resolution on the floor Tuesday but there’s been silence from the two Colorado Republicans whose districts could see the steepest cuts.
As freshmen Congressmen Evans and Hurd got to know their districts, one thing they surely got to know is how many of their constituents rely on Medicaid for health coverage.
According to the Congressional District Health Dashboard from NYU Langone Health, nearly 30% of Hurd’s constituents on the Western Slope and in southern Colorado are on Medicaid, the most of any congressional district in the state.
Evans’ district, from Denver’s northern suburbs to Weld County, has 25% of the population on Medicaid, the second most.
Evans belongs to the Congressional Hispanic Conference. Last week, the chair of that GOP group and seven other members wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnston saying, “Medicaid (is) expected to bear the brunt” of spending cuts and that, “Slashing Medicaid would have serious consequences, particularly in rural and predominantly Hispanic communities.”
Evans did not sign the letter opposing Medicaid cuts.
On Monday, as Democrats protested outside Evans’ office, asking him to protect Medicaid, he posted a photo of his stop two weeks ago at Tepeyac Community Health Center writing that it does “critical work with underserved communities.”
In a statement to 9NEWS, Tepeyac said in part that cutting Medicaid would mean, “More patients would be forced to seek care in emergency rooms, increasing uncompensated hospital costs and straining the healthcare system. Policymakers need to consider the long-term consequences of Medicaid cuts. Investing in community health centers saves money by keeping people healthier and reducing expensive emergency care. The future of healthcare access in Colorado depends on preserving this essential funding.”
