Colorado Governor Admits Free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants Is Unsustainable
Colorado Governor Jared Polis faces backlash after proposing cuts to free healthcare for illegal immigrants amid rising Medicaid costs.
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Colorado Governor Jared Polis has admitted that his state’s free healthcare program for illegal immigrants is unsustainable and has proposed significant cuts to address spiraling Medicaid costs. The program, known as Cover All Coloradans, was launched in 2022 as part of a broader effort to expand healthcare access to undocumented children and pregnant individuals. However, with Medicaid costs rising sharply, Polis is now calling for a restructuring of the program in his final budget proposal.
Polis Proposes Medicaid Cuts Amid Rising Costs
Polis released his budget on the eve of the midterm elections, proposing $600 million in Medicaid cuts. He described the program’s growth as unsustainable, warning that it could crowd out other essential services, including education. The proposal includes a plan to replace Cover All Coloradans with the Primary Care Fund, which provides financial assistance to low-income, uninsured residents. While illegal immigrant children would lose comprehensive coverage under the new plan, pregnant and postpartum adults would retain their benefits.
Polis’s budget would cut $10 million from Cover All Coloradans, with about half of that amount redirected to the Primary Care Fund. The move has drawn criticism from left-wing groups, who argue that the program was a key part of their agenda and that the proposed cuts undermine efforts to provide healthcare to vulnerable populations.
Economists Warn of Financial Risks
Economists have long warned that providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants through Medicaid could lead to financial strain on state budgets. Progressives, however, have argued that the expansion would reduce emergency room visits by encouraging cheaper outpatient care. This logic was also used to defend the Affordable Care Act, but the results have been mixed, with states facing unsustainable costs.
Polis’s experience in Colorado highlights the challenges of implementing such programs on a large scale. As the state grapples with rising healthcare costs, the decision to cut funding for the program raises questions about the feasibility of similar initiatives at the national level.
Jared Polis is quietly trying to kill the health program he created for kids of illegal immigrants — after costs exploded to 7x what Colorado predicted.
If Democrats get their way, our entire system of healthcare will collapse under its own weight.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
