On Wednesday, a panel of top Colorado healthcare executives warned that federal cuts to Medicaid, under the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, will affect not only Medicaid recipients but Colorado’s wider health care system, pushing up costs and the number of uninsured people across the state.
“What H.R.1 [the Big Beautiful Bill] in essence is doing, whether it starts immediately or if it’s over ten years, is undoing Obamacare,” said Mitzi Moran, chief executive officer at Sunrise Community Health. “So it’s undoing the tax subsidies to support people being able to afford health insurance, and it’s reducing the number of people who are on Medicaid. They’re either doing that through eligibility or they’re doing that … by requiring work requirements or other things. It’s going to lead to a reduction.”
Dr. Mark Wallace, representing the North Colorado Health Alliance, explained that, when people lose Medicaid coverage, it affects everyone because “the more people who are uninsured, the higher insured premiums are.”
Lyle Smith-Graybeal, chief operating officer at United Way of Weld County, echoed this sentiment, explaining, “These costs are gonna be borne somewhere and people will get healthcare, and if it’s in the emergency department, it will just be more expensive and people will come in less healthy.”
There was no dispute among the panelists that the combined impact of the bill will be to raise healthcare costs.
“In short, what this does is it just creates increased margin pressure, like we didn’t have enough to worry about already with inflation, which is still a problem, and other challenges,” said Alan Qualls, the CEO of Banner Health’s northern Colorado market.
Marilyn Schock, president of the UCHealth Greeley Hospital, was also on the panel, which was moderated by Greeley City Councilmember Tommy Butler and co-hosted by Mainstream Colorado, an advocacy group.
“The policy changes really could have widespread and lasting effects,” said Schock, summarizing some of the themes covered during the discussion. “I don’t think we can even comprehend how long they will go once all of this starts unwinding.”
“But to mention a few,” she continued, “limitations to access to care may lead to longer ER wait times. Emergency departments are busy because people don’t have coverage, and they know they can go to the emergency department and get care. Delayed care, closure of services and facilities, job cuts, and ultimately the worsening of health outcomes. Really, this comes back to the patient who may not seek care because they do not have insurance, may not seek the additional services that may lead them to the type of care that they need for their condition. And I really do think we’ll see that. I think in addition to that … 70% of hospitals in Colorado have unsustainable margins. And when you see that the reimbursement continues to decline and you have more of that falling on the individual of how are they going to pay for the care, it’s a collision.”
When asked what he would say directly to members of Congress, Wallace suggested that they “listen really carefully to their communities to understand what the impact is, not at a global budget level.”
“This all comes down to human beings,” said Wallace. “Okay, we even get stuck sometimes at the organizational level, but ultimately, the line of work that we’re in is about having healthier people.”
In answer to the same question, Smith-Graybeal said, “People who have better health, it’s easier to be a great employee. People who have better health, it’s easier to be a great parent. People who have great health, it’s easier to be a great neighbor. And if we aren’t investing as a citizenry and as a nation in great healthcare, then we’re not setting up people to be great.”
President Donald Trump signed H.R. 1, the Big Beautiful Bill, on July 4, after it narrowly cleared Congress. Colorado’s congressional delegation split along party lines on the bill, with all Republicans voting for it and Democrats opposed.
RELATED: Why Medicaid Cuts Threaten Health Care for Everyone in Colorado
CORRECTION 9/6/25: Marilyn Schock’s name was misspelled.
