In the mid-90s, President Bill Clinton famously promised to “end welfare as we know it,” by capping the number of years for eligibility and imposing restrictions for certain public benefits. Non-citizens were hit particularly hard as part of that misguided goal as...
Recent articles
Part 2: What is Credit Reporting, and How Does It Harm People with Medical Debt?
Accessing and maintaining good credit is essential to achieving economic mobility. However, a derogatory mark on a credit report can likewise significantly harm one’s life. When an individual struggles to pay off medical debt, the resultant poor credit report can...
March Letter from Bethany Pray, Interim Executive Director
March brings change. The session is nearing the halfway point, the sub-zero temperatures are over in Denver — we hope! — and over the next four weeks, the thousands of fiscal decisions that go into the budget will come together and the legislative landscape will begin...
Private Duty Nursing: One Family’s Story
When we think about complicated health insurance programs like Medicaid, it’s easy to miss the stories of the individual people and families who receive these benefits. A few months ago, one remarkable mother shared her family’s story in a public hearing to the...
STATEMENT: Stop the AHCA
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a two-vote, 217-213, margin.
Colorado Center on Law and Policy cannot over-emphasize the harm this bill will cause if it becomes law.
In short, the AHCA rolls back the Medicaid expansion, which will result in 600,000 Coloradans losing coverage. Charging older people substantially more for coverage will make it difficult, and in many cases impossible, for them to purchase health insurance.
Permitting states to opt out of offering essential health benefits guts the fundamental right established in the ACA for people with pre-existing conditions to purchase health insurance.
While a recent amendment to the bill allocating $8 billion to high risk pools was touted as mitigating harm to people with pre-existing conditions, it will not. High-risk pools have not worked in the past and the dollar amounts allocated are insufficient to make them work going forward.
This was a vote that will hurt an enormous number of people. We hope the Senate takes more care. Please contact Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet to make your concerns known!
– Elisabeth Arenales
Recent articles
Myths & Facts: Ending Colorado’s Unconstitutional Sponsorship Law
In the mid-90s, President Bill Clinton famously promised to “end welfare as we know it,” by capping the number of years for eligibility and imposing restrictions for certain public benefits. Non-citizens were hit particularly hard as part of that misguided goal as...
Part 2: What is Credit Reporting, and How Does It Harm People with Medical Debt?
Accessing and maintaining good credit is essential to achieving economic mobility. However, a derogatory mark on a credit report can likewise significantly harm one’s life. When an individual struggles to pay off medical debt, the resultant poor credit report can...
March Letter from Bethany Pray, Interim Executive Director
March brings change. The session is nearing the halfway point, the sub-zero temperatures are over in Denver — we hope! — and over the next four weeks, the thousands of fiscal decisions that go into the budget will come together and the legislative landscape will begin...
Private Duty Nursing: One Family’s Story
When we think about complicated health insurance programs like Medicaid, it’s easy to miss the stories of the individual people and families who receive these benefits. A few months ago, one remarkable mother shared her family’s story in a public hearing to the...