Colorado’s leading health foundations have worked in close partnership for more than a decade to expand access to equitable mental health care and strengthen the health care safety net for those too often left underserved or unserved in our health system. Together, we supported the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion — efforts that made it possible to fund innovative, community-rooted models of care across our state.
These weren’t abstract policy shifts. They were deliberate steps to ensure people in rural towns, communities of color, immigrant communities and people working low-wage jobs could access high-quality health and mental health care when and where they needed it, often for the first time.
As leaders of Colorado’s health-focused philanthropic foundations, we are deeply concerned by the proposed $625 billion in federal cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program over the next decade. These are not just budget adjustments — they represent a direct threat to the well-being of more than 1.3 million Coloradans, including children and young people, families, older adults, pregnant women and people with disabilities who rely on these programs for essential care.
The importance of continued investment comes into focus when we look at the data:
■ In 2023, 26.2% of Coloradans — about 1.5 million people — reported poor mental health (Colorado Health Institute).
■ After Colorado declared youth mental health an emergency in 2021, outcomes improved by 2023: Persistent sadness fell from 40% to 26%, suicidal thoughts from 17% to 11%, and suicide attempts from 7% to 6% (Children’s Hospital Colorado; Healthy Kids Colorado, 2023). Many factors have contributed to this progress, but too many young people are still struggling with their mental health.
■ In 2024, 59% of Coloradans reported mental health strain, and 41% of them delayed seeking care (Pulse Poll, The Colorado Health Foundation).
But beyond these numbers lies a quieter truth: Medicaid is the backbone of Colorado’s mental health system. It funds school-based mental health supports, substance use treatment, mobile crisis response services and therapy for children and families. It enables community providers to offer mental health care regardless of ability to pay. Health First Colorado, the state’s Medicaid program, covers preventive mental health screenings, case management and inpatient and outpatient services that would otherwise be out of reach.
Cuts of this scale would force community mental health centers to reduce services or close altogether. It would leave young people without access to therapists, families without medication support and schools without crisis intervention partners. It would undermine the very gains Colorado has made to improve access to mental health care and reduce stigma.
At a time when suicide remains a leading cause of death for young people in Colorado, and when demand for mental health services is rising, pulling away one of the few lifelines people trust and rely upon is unconscionable.
Our foundations are proud to invest in innovative, community-centered mental health solutions. But no matter how creative or committed our philanthropic efforts are, we cannot replace the scale or sustainability of public funding. Medicaid reaches every corner of our state, including rural communities where mental health services are already scarce. Without it, the gaps will widen, particularly for people of color, rural communities, young people and low-income families.
The proposed cuts are moving quickly as part of a federal budget bill now being debated in Congress. These decisions will have long-term consequences for access to mental health care across Colorado. We encourage Coloradans to stay informed, engage in conversations about what’s at stake, and help elevate the importance of mental health in public life.
LINDA REINER, president & CEO, Caring for Colorado Foundation
KAREN McNEIL-MILLER, president & CEO, The Colorado Health Foundation
LOREZ MEINHOLD, executive director, Caring for Denver Foundation
DON MARES, president & CEO, The Colorado Trust
MICHAELLE SMITH executive director, Rocky Mountain Health Foundation
LINDY EICHENBAUM LENT president & CEO, Rose Community Foundation