Before and after Republicans voted to cut Medicaid about a year ago, Washington Republicans insisted that their narrow focus was to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse from the health care program, not to siphon budget dollars for tax cuts or to cut funding for hospitals that need it.
“I don’t support cuts that harm Colorado providers or patients – I support removing waste and fraud,” U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) told Colorado Public Radio in August of last year, after the cuts were signed into law in July.
Evans went so far as to say that Big Beautiful Bill didn’t cut Medicaid at all.
“Medicaid spending under the Republican plan is projected to increase every year, and anyone who suggests otherwise is fear mongering for political purposes,” said Evans in a May, 2025, news release. “This bill follows through on our promises to cut waste, fraud, and abuse while simultaneously protecting coverage for Colorado’s most vulnerable populations. As the father of a medically complex kid, I understand how significant programs like this are, and that’s why I am committed to protecting Medicaid and ensuring its longevity for the people who need it most.”
Now, over a year later, the warnings of critics are turning out to be true — that the economic stability of some hospitals, many on shaky ground before the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill, is worsening.
Last week, National Nurses United listed 12 Colorado hospitals that are vulnerable due to federal Medicaid cuts that will kick in over the coming years. These include three in Evans’ district and others around the state: Banner North Colorado Medical Center’s Loveland campus, Banner North Colorado Medical Center’s Greeley campus, CommonSpirit Longmont United Hospital, CommonSpirit St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan, Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge, Intermountain Health Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, St. Vincent General Hospital District in Leadville, UCHealth Broomfield Hospital, UCHealth Grandview Hospital in Colorado Springs, UCHealth Greeley Hospital, UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital, UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont.
“Colorado is estimated to lose at least $2.5 billion per year in federal funding for Medicaid by 2032 because of H.R. 1,” Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, told the Colorado Times Recorder. “And that doesn’t reflect the broader economic, health, and social costs that will happen from the unnecessary paperwork and administrative red tape requirements that start in January. Saying H.R. 1 doesn’t cut Medicaid is like saying the wolf in sheep’s clothing is there to protect the flock. The consequences for Coloradans will be tens if not hundreds of thousands losing health coverage and our already dysfunctional health care system being thrown into a catastrophe.”
Evans’ office didn’t respond to an email asking if the congressman thinks his assertion that his vote for the Big Beautiful Bill would “cut waste, fraud, and abuse while simultaneously protecting coverage for Colorado’s most vulnerable populations” has turned out to be false.
In April, Public Citizen released a report listing nine hospitals in Colorado that are “at risk” in the wake of the Medicaid cuts. They include: Platte Valley Medical Center (Brighton), UCHealth Grandview Hospital (Colorado Springs), Prowers Medical Center (Lamar), Longmont United Hospital (Longmont), St. Vincent General Hospital (Leadville), St. Elizabeth Hospital (Fort Morgan), Denver Health Medical Center (Denver), North Colorado Medical Center (Greeley), St. Mary-Corwin Hospital (Pueblo).
Nationally, about 700 rural hospitals are on shaky ground, including six in Colorado that are at risk of immediate closure, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, which tracks rural hospitals.
According to the state’s Department of Health Care and Public Financing, one of every four people in Evans’ district is covered by Medicaid. Of those 192,000 Coloradans, nearly 10,000 have disabilities that require long-term care. Both lists of vulnerable hospitals include at least one facility in Greeley, which is in Evans’ district.
Medicaid will almost certainly be a key issue in Evans’ re-election campaign against Democrat Manny Rutinel this fall. The race in one of the country’s most competitive districts will help determine which party controls the U.S. House after November’s midterm election.
