CBHC Statement on Senate Budget Bill

Statement from the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council on Senate Passage of Federal Budget Package

As the Senate advances legislation that includes devastating cuts to Medicaid, CBHC stands in strong opposition. Medicaid is the backbone of Colorado’s behavioral health safety net—supporting care for individuals with mental health and substance use needs in every community across our state.

Colorado’s safety net behavioral health providers are frontline caregivers for some of our state’s most vulnerable individuals: adults with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder, and children and youth with severe emotional disturbances. The majority of these clients rely on Medicaid. Since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, CBHC members have reported up to a 50% increase in the number of uninsured clients, as hundreds of thousands of Coloradans have lost Medicaid coverage. This legislation will cause many hundreds of thousands more to lose the coverage that enables them to get vitally important mental health and substance use treatment, further straining our communities. Without access to treatment, more individuals will face worsening conditions, increased risk of homelessness or incarceration, and higher reliance on emergency services. These consequences will ripple across the system, driving up private insurance costs and destabilizing the very fabric of community health.

Our rural communities will be especially hard hit. In southern counties like Costilla, Alamosa, and Conejos, Medicaid covers nearly half the population—leaving entire communities at risk if this support is withdrawn. The proposed rural transformation fund falls far short of what’s needed to fill the gap, threatening the viability of rural clinics, hospitals, and behavioral health providers across the state.

“In light of these concerns, we deeply appreciate Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper for their leadership and efforts to amend and oppose this bill,” said Kara Johnson-Hufford, CEO of CBHC. “Their advocacy underscores what’s at stake: the stability of our health care infrastructure, especially in rural and underserved regions. This bill would dismantle essential services that allow Coloradans to live with dignity, access care close to home, and manage complex behavioral health needs. We urge the House to reject it and protect Medicaid for the 1.2 million Coloradans who depend on it.”

CBHC remains steadfast in defending Medicaid and advancing equitable, accessible care for all Coloradans. We will continue to advocate for a behavioral health system that delivers on the promise of timely, comprehensive services in every corner of the state.