Commissioner Dahlkemper: Protecting SNAP and Medicaid for Vulnerable Neighbors in Jeffco

You may have heard Congress is considering sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Those changes are harmful to our most vulnerable community members. SNAP provides critical nutrition and food for children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income adults.

The changes would restrict the state's ability to grant work exemptions and limit flexibility to tailor SNAP to meet the needs of individual populations. These efforts are projected to cost Jeffco residents more than $28 million in benefits and may require the county to assume 75% of administrative costs now covered by the federal government. That's not all. We anticipate lengthier enrollment times and increased need for emergency food and community support services. County staffing needs also will significantly increase to address redetermination of participants' status.

These sweeping changes will have broad impacts on our community members and lead to greater economic and health disparities, especially in communities already experiencing barriers to access. Protecting and strengthening SNAP is essential for more than 38,000 individuals in Jefferson County to provide lifesaving food and nutrition.

Beyond helping struggling families put food on the table, SNAP stimulates local economies during downturns, feeds people during natural disasters, offers nutrition education, and provides certain participants with Employment and Training services - a critical pathway to securing a job.

County commissioners strongly oppose any reduction in benefits for participants that will increase the demand on locally funded service providers. Additionally, we urge Congress to protect funding for other complementary nutrition programs, such as school and summer meals, that provide vital support to low-income children so that they can learn, grow, and thrive.

We also urge members of the Colorado Congressional delegation to reject any federal legislation that cuts Medicaid funding, restricts eligibility, or imposes new administrative barriers. These proposals threaten the health and financial stability of nearly 80,000 Jefferson County residents who rely on Medicaid every month.

Medicaid ensures timely, affordable, and often life-saving care. It supports our hospitals, behavioral health systems, and community clinics by reducing uncompensated care and keeping our local healthcare infrastructure viable.

The Medicaid changes proposed by the House of Representatives last month would force thousands of people to forgo care, drive up emergency department use, and increase costs for providers, local governments, and private payers. Stripping Medicaid coverage from working families, caregivers, older adults, and people with disabilities would create deeper health disparities and shift preventable costs onto our communities.

The economic harm would ripple across our local economies. For every $1 million cut from federal Medicaid funding, Colorado loses $2.25 million in economic activity and $825,000 in household earnings. These losses mean fewer jobs, weaker local economies, and greater financial pressure on Colorado families.

Medicaid works. More than 95% of Colorado's Medicaid budget directly supports healthcare services. Our state spends less per enrollee than most others, while delivering meaningful health outcomes. We need to invest in this system-not undermine it.

Not only are your county commissioners - alongside our county team - advocating for SNAP and Medicaid at the state and federal levels, we are closely monitoring the White House's Executive Orders and how they will impact Jefferson County.

Please follow our website for more details or to view the commissioners' letters to our Congressional delegation: https://www.jeffco.us/4887/Federal-Impact-Updates

For a thriving community,

Lesley

Please note: This article was excerpted, in part, from two letters submitted by the Jeffco Board of County Commissioners to members of the Colorado Congressional delegation earlier this month.

Commissioner Dahlkemper can be reached via email.

Visit the Jefferson County Commissioners webpage to learn more about what they do. The Board of County Commissioners' public hearings are held on most Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and we invite you to join us for public comment. Visit the Jefferson County meetings webpage for more information.