Republicans’ signature “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or H.R. 1, cuts Medicaid healthcare funding by nearly $1 trillion and SNAP food assistance by $187 billion over the next decade. In Colorado, county agencies that handle eligibility determinations, enrollments and workflows will be tasked with enforcing those reductions.
Dan Makelky, who directs Arapahoe County’s human services department, said new requirements that double the number of eligibility certifications for able-bodied adults without children will add 10,000 work hours for his team.
“Medicaid will now be redetermined twice a year,” Makelky said. “We know it’s going to cause confusion. There will be some people who are currently on these benefits who will no longer be eligible for those benefits.”
More cuts are expected when new Medicaid work requirements take effect in January 2027. Many people who do work at least 80 hours per month are expected to lose health benefits because of administrative hurdles and red tape.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that more than 2.4 million people are dropped from SNAP rolls each month. Republicans argue the federal cuts, which helped pay for extensions to tax breaks passed under the first Trump administration, are necessary to reduce fraud and waste.
Makelky said the biggest misperception about people who qualify for food and medical assistance is that they do not want to work. He said most simply cannot get health insurance through their jobs and are not paid a living wage.
“The vast majority of the people who are on these programs work, and are not paid enough to be able to provide basic needs for their family,” he said.
Counties also will play a key role in how much federal money is clawed back. Colorado’s error rate in SNAP payments was nearly 10% in 2024. Under H.R. 1, states with error rates of more than 3% will lose federal funding.
Makelky said Colorado is redesigning its benefits management system to ensure the state has the technological infrastructure to handle the increased workload in county, state and federal reporting.
“We’re learning lessons from other states that have a lower error rate than us,” he said. “So I do think Colorado is on the path to create a benefits management system that is cutting-edge.”
Source: Public News Service
