CWS Colorado Director Urges Congress Restore Refugee Medicaid Eligibility

In a Colorado Newsline commentary, Kristy Beachy-Quick of CWS (Church World Service) argues that federal law revoking Medicaid eligibility for refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, and trafficking survivors will harm vulnerable Coloradans starting October 1, 2026. She cites the 2025 federal reconciliation law (H.R.1) as eliminating this coverage for roughly 7,000 Coloradans, leaving chronic conditions untreated and shifting costs to hospitals, food banks, and nonprofits. The author contends refugees contribute significantly in taxes and economic activity, citing state estimates of $127.1 million in state/local taxes and $233.3 million in federal taxes paid by Colorado refugees in 2023. She calls on Congress to restore Medicaid eligibility for these humanitarian populations.

Finance