Latest news with #HealthierColorado
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Poll: Colorado voters do not want to see funding cuts for assistance programs
DENVER (KDVR) — As the spending plan known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill makes its way through the U.S. Senate, new polling is out here at home, giving insight into how some Coloradans feel about programs that could see cuts under the proposal. The poll by Healthier Colorado shows that support for programs like SNAP and Medicaid is strong among Colorado voters. Safe2Tell report involving sexual misconduct leads to arrest 'They are going to rip this away from Colorado, but also the 36 other states that have utilized this,' said Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen. The congresswoman representing Colorado's seventh congressional district is concerned that substance abuse programs funded by Medicaid could be gutted if cuts inside the spending proposal in Washington come to fruition. 'With the budget proposal, they are taking states' ability to apply for the waiver that we utilized in Colorado and across the nation to draw down federal dollars to support treatment programs for those who are struggling with addiction,' Pettersen said. The concern over cuts comes as new data from the Centers for Disease Control shows a 35% drop in fentanyl deaths among young people in Colorado. New polling data from a Healthier Colorado survey out today also shows how some Coloradans may feel about the potential cuts to services. The survey, conducted between late last month and the early part of this month, polled 675 Colorado voters. 49% of them are unaffiliated voters, 26% are registered Democrats, 23% are registered Republicans. Aurora City Council will not hold in-person meetings until Kilyn Lewis lawsuit concludes Of the folks polled, 48% of people surveyed say they want to see an increase in Medicaid funding, and 25% said they would like to see it stay about the same. Only 21% say they would like to see a decrease. The survey also polled people about SNAP benefits, with 83% of people surveyed saying they support funding those benefits. 404 of the 675 people who took the survey live in Colorado's eighth congressional district. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Fewer than 1 in 4 Colorado voters support Medicaid cuts
(Stock photo by) Just 21% of Colorado voters want Congress to decrease Medicaid spending, according to a poll released Tuesday. Concerns about gutted health care access come as U.S. Senate Republican leaders work to push through a tax and spending bill that would cut Medicaid by an estimated $625 billion over the next decade. The poll zeroed in on the 8th Congressional District, which includes the northern Denver metro area and parts of Weld County. In the district, where 1 in 4 residents receive Medicaid benefits, 63% of voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The 8th District is represented by Republican Gabe Evans, who voted in favor of the plan that would reduce federal Medicaid spending when it was brought to the U.S. House of Representatives in May. A spokesperson for Evans defended the vote, saying a proposed provision to institute part-time work requirements for some people to retain Medicaid eligibility would make 'the program more efficient by cutting out fraud, waste, and abuse.' 'Congressman Gabe Evans has been steadfast in his support of protecting Medicaid for the vulnerable populations it was created to serve — pregnant women, kids, and disabled people,' said spokesperson Delanie Bomar in a statement Tuesday. Evans, who was elected to the House last year, represents one of the country's few congressional swing districts. According to the poll, 42% of voters in the district want to see increased federal Medicaid spending, 20% want it to stay about the same and 28% want it to decrease. Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for lower-income people and some with disabilities, serves more than 70 million U.S. residents. The poll of 675 registered Colorado voters was conducted by Broomfield-based firm Magellan Strategies on behalf of the nonprofit Healthier Colorado. It has a margin of error of 3.7%. 'Politicians are saying that they want to cut Medicaid to make it better, but the poll shows clearly that voters aren't buying what they're selling,' said Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier Colorado. 'It shows that there's real political peril for any candidate who votes to cut Medicaid.' Bomar pointed to the poll's findings that many respondents, especially those who are Republicans or unaffiliated, said Medicaid 'should only be for U.S. citizens or legal residents, with some calling for stricter eligibility enforcement.' Immigrants who are in the U.S. unlawfully are not eligible for federal Medicaid benefits, but Colorado and 13 other states provide some state-funded coverage to immigrants lacking permanent legal status. Under the proposed federal cuts, an estimated 7.8 million people, most of them citizens or lawful residents, would lose access to Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Some of the main reasons cited in the poll by respondents who said they have favorable opinions of Medicaid are the benefits it provides to low-income Coloradans, seniors, children, people with disabilities and single parents. 'The poll shows that Medicaid cuts would have devastating effects for both our health and economy here in Colorado,' Williams said. 'I also think it shows that Colorado voters aren't dummies.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Poll: Rep. Gabe Evans' approval lags behind Trump's
Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans' favorability rating five months into the job is lower than President Trump's among registered voters in the congressman's district, according to a poll released Tuesday. Stunning stat: Evans' favorability (40%) lagged behind Trump's (45%) in Colorado's 8th District, which stretches from the suburbs north of Denver toward Greeley. The big picture: More than half of registered voters in the state's most competitive congressional district would be less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid funding, per a poll released by Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit that supports expanding the federal safety net program. Why it matters: The poll comes as a major warning for Evans, who's gunning for reelection next year while staunchly defending the "big, beautiful bill" calling for historic reductions in Medicaid spending. Context: The poll, conducted from May 29 to June 4, included 404 registered 8th District voters, per Healthier Colorado. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 4.87% at the 95% confidence interval. State of play: A majority of 8th District voters (53%) share a favorable view of the safety net program, the poll shows, citing the health care access it provides to low-income and vulnerable people. Less than a quarter of respondents (23%) hold an unfavorable opinion of Medicaid. Between the lines: Republicans like Evans are framing the federal spending proposal as a measure to curb fraud and waste in the federal safety net program — but most voters aren't buying that, Healthier Colorado CEO Jake Williams said during a Tuesday press call. What they're saying:"Republicans' plan increases Medicaid spending every single year and makes the program more efficient by cutting out fraud, waste, and abuse," Delanie Bomar, a spokesperson for Evans' reelection campaign, said in a statement.
Axios
07-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
Local report highlights "acute suicidality"
A recent paper from Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit advocating for health care policy, sheds light on " acute suicidality," a condition with a growing body of research. Why it matters: Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in Colorado, while the number of kids and teens who die by suicide in the state more than doubled between 2010 and 2020, per state data. State of play: Acute suicidality can occur when a person has a sudden onset of symptoms without the typical warning signs or indicators of someone who may be considering suicide, according to the report released last month. It includes people who attempt suicide shortly after contemplating it for the first time — sometimes within hours or minutes. Yes, but: Some medical researchers are hesitant to adopt acute suicidality as a diagnosis, citing the need for additional studies, University of Colorado School of Medicine clinical psychologist Ian Stanley tells us. Stanley, who specializes in suicide prevention, says experts have determined chronic and acute risks associated with suicide. But more research is needed to clarify the distinction between those risks before arriving at a diagnosis, he says. Context: Suicide is typically, but not exclusively, linked to long-term mental health disorders. It's often associated with major depressive, bipolar or substance use disorders, report co-author and senior policy director at Healthier Colorado Christina Walker tells us. Zoom in: The paper commemorates Maddy Lignell, who died by suicide in May 2021. Family of the 26-year-old, who grew up in Boulder, say he didn't have a preexisting mental health condition. His parents believe his death was connected to acute suicidality, since it occurred just after he started sharing work-related worries. What's next: The paper recommends a suicide-specific diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the handbook used by medical professionals for diagnosing mental health disorders. The paper identifies two potential formal diagnoses: acute suicidality affective disturbances (ASAD) and suicide-crisis syndrome (SCS). It also calls for partnering with clinicians to create new or improved screening and intervention tools. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Ayuda disponible en español.
