At a virtual meeting with La Plata County commissioners on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd reiterated his support for Medicaid – “for those who need it most.”
Cuts outlined in Congressional Republicans’ budget proposal pose a significant threat to the expansive health insurance program for low-income families. Colorado’s Medicaid program covers 22% of La Plata County residents and about one-third of Hurd’s constituents in the 3rd Congressional District.
The caveat in Hurd’s remarks – “for those who need it most” – gave Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton pause.
“Are you deserving if you are working in the service sector and you just simply cannot afford insurance – does that make you more or less deserving? Does it make you less or more deserving if you’re disabled?” she said in an interview after the meeting. “These are very difficult questions we’re grappling with. And it is also true, Medicaid is the biggest driver of budget issues right now, particularly in Colorado.”
Still, the meeting and the opportunity to voice concerns on behalf of La Plata County residents were appreciated by commissioners.
The hourlong Zoom meeting was held at the request of the Board of County Commissioners to discuss how federal spending cuts might affect local residents who rely on Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Commissioners also addressed how potential cuts could impact public health programs, wildfire risk and access to public lands.
Hurd listened intently and asked numerous follow-up questions. He noted that the remote format – initially suggested by the county to address concerns the lawmaker might have over a widely attended in-person meeting – was not his preferred method.
The congressman asked his regional director to arrange an in-person meeting with the board in the coming months.
Commissioners urged Hurd to oppose cuts to Medicaid – which Republicans say are off the table, but outside analysts believe may be necessary to extend expiring tax cuts.
“The cuts currently in the House budget are going to have an absolute devastating impact if they go through to that level,” Porter-Norton said, citing the economic impact on regional health care providers.
She also requested that any proposed work requirements – which Hurd has expressed interest in – include funding to cover the administrative burden local agencies may incur while applying those requirements.
“I know the importance of Medicaid to rural Colorado,” Hurd responded, gently bristling as he reiterated that no decisions around Medicaid have been made.
Porter-Norton said Hurd appeared to share many of the board’s concerns around cuts to social safety nets, and said they felt “very heard in those areas.”
Commissioners also described the detrimental impact of a pause on fire mitigation grant funding and the cancellation of public health grants that supported vaccine outreach.
Aside from a brief mention by Porter-Norton near the end of the meeting, the board did not broach the topic of President Donald Trump’s consolidation of executive power or the potential constitutional implications. Porter-Norton said after the meeting that the time was set aside to discuss the more tangible threats to the livelihood of La Plata County residents.
Hurd’s detailed follow-up questions appeared aimed at gathering insight, which commissioners found reassuring – especially given the fraught relationship many local officials had with Rep. Lauren Boebert back when she represented CD-3.
“It is refreshing to have a Congress person who is reaching out to us and able to meet with us, and able to really dialogue, because at the level we’re at, it’s not about party, it’s about really getting stuff done,” Porter-Norton said.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
