Colorado Medicaid recipient fears losing coverage after "big, beautiful bill" passes

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Colorado Medicaid recipient concerned about losing coverage now that "big, beautiful bill" has been
Colorado Medicaid recipient concerned about losing coverage now that "big, beautiful bill" has been
Colorado Medicaid recipient concerned about losing coverage now that "big, beautiful bill" has been
President Trump signed what he called the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" during a celebratory event on July 4 after the bill narrowly passed the House on Thursday, with Colorado's congressional delegation voting along party lines.
The legislation makes a number of changes to domestic policies, including permanently increasing the child tax credit to $2,200, allowing tipped workers to deduct tips and overtime from federal taxes, and boosting funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also eliminates tax incentives for clean energy, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency programs.
In addition, the bill includes stronger restrictions on Medicaid, which provides health care coverage to over 70 million low-income and disabled Americans, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Lindsey Schoen, a Colorado resident who got on Medicaid in 2014 after a severe bacterial infection left her unable to work, said she's worried about the changes.
"It scares me, not only for myself, but for all of the people who are on Medicaid, who are just trying to survive," she said.
Lindsey Schoen, a Colorado resident who got on Medicaid in 2014 after a severe bacterial infection, talks to CBS News Colorado via Zoom about concerns she has about possible cuts to Medicaid after President Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" on July, 4, 2025.
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Schoen said the coverage helped her regain her health and return to work.
"Because of Medicaid, I've been able to get well enough to actually work again," Schoen said. "I work for the State of Colorado, for the Division of Youth Services, and I love my job so much."
One in four Coloradans receives Medicaid benefits -- about 1.72 million people, according to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Annie Lee, president and CEO of Colorado Access, which helps administer Medicaid in the state, said the new bill could have a sweeping effect.
"What this bill does is really shift the financial burden to states," Lee said. "The majority of the things in the bill that was just passed are set to take effect next year or the following year. There's kind of a graduated impact for most of the things in the bill."
Stretchers for an operating room are seen at Denver Health in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The legislation adds work requirements for certain adults to keep receiving Medicaid benefits. Supporters argue it will motivate able-bodied adults to improve their lives.
But Schoen said many Medicaid recipients already work.
"A lot of us do work. We try really hard. We don't just lie around on the couch all day," she said. "I was hospitalized seven times last year, and I had two surgeries, and I worked the entire time. But there are many times where it just feels like I'm walking on thin ice. If one more thing happens, the whole house of cards could just collapse."
Lee warned the bill is anticipated to result in "large-scale loss of health insurance coverage for Coloradans."
Schoen echoed that concern.
"I just feel like the people who we've elected to be our proxies have just turned around and pushed us off a cliff," she said. "And there's no safety net down there."