New Report: Nine Colorado Hospitals at Risk of Service Cuts, Possible Closure due to Republican Health Care Cuts

Medicaid cuts threaten access to care for communities across Colorado

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper underscored the devastating impact of the growing health care crisis in Colorado following a new report by Public Citizen, which found that nine hospitals across the state are among those most at risk of reducing medical services or, in more severe cases, potential closure, as a result of Republican-backed cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

"We're facing a health care crisis, and this administration is only making things worse," said Hickenlooper. "Colorado hospitals are at risk because the White House cut health care to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest, all while families are paying double or triple for care. We won't stop fighting to make health care more affordable and accessible for every Coloradan."

The nine Colorado hospitals found most at-risk include:

• Platte Valley Medical Center (Brighton, CO)
• UCHealth Grandview Hospital (Colorado Springs, CO)
• Prowers Medical Center (Lamar, CO)
• Longmont United Hospital (Longmont, CO)
• St. Vincent General Hospital (Leadville, CO)
• St. Elizabeth Hospital (Fort Morgan, CO)
• Denver Health Medical Center (Denver, CO)
• North Colorado Medical Center (Greeley, CO)
• St. Mary-Corwin Hospital (Pueblo, CO)

The report defines "high-risk" hospitals as those that meet both of the following criteria:

1. At least 20% of the hospitals' payer mix came from Medicaid, CHIP, or other government programs, on average, from 2022 through 2024.
   
2. The hospital had negative net profit margins, on average, from 2022 through 2024.
   

The report highlights how hospitals serving low-income and rural communities are especially vulnerable to Medicaid cuts, which reduce critical funding needed to maintain services, retain staff, and keep doors open. Last July, Republicans passed the president's budget reconciliation law, which cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, putting coverage at risk for 15 million Americans, including 240,000 Coloradans.

An earlier, separate report published last year by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found 300 rural hospitals across the country at risk of closure because of Republicans cuts, including six in Colorado:

• Delta County Memorial Hospital - Delta
• Conejos County Hospital - La Jara
• Grand River Hospital District - Rifle
• Prowers Medical Center - Lamar
• Southwest Memorial Hospital - Cortez
• Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center - La Junta

While the two reports use different methodologies, both underscore the same reality: Republicans' cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act will place additional financial strain on already vulnerable hospitals, especially in Colorado's rural communities.

Hickenlooper has consistently opposed efforts to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, warning that these policies will increase costs, reduce coverage, and jeopardize access to care for Coloradans.

Last week, Hickenlooper visited Delta Health in Delta, Colorado, a county-wide, non-profit community health system that was recently forced to indefinitely close its labor and delivery unit due to mounting financial pressures.

During his visit, Hickenlooper convened a roundtable with Colorado health care providers and stakeholders on the Western Slope to discuss the growing strain on hospitals and the urgent need to protect access to care.

Photos from the visit can be found HERE.

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