Colorado Hates its Disabled Citizens

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts on disabled citizens in Colorado, focusing on the personal story of a mother advocating for her son with Down syndrome.

This is a selfish column. The legislature is about to hurt my disabled son. My son, Chance, has Down syndrome and a few years ago would have been labeled “retarded.” Then “developmentally delayed.” Now the hypersensitive prefer “intellectually disabled.” Whatever the term is this week, the reality hasn’t changed. This 21-year-old man cannot consistently count to five, can’t read and can’t write his own name. He needs constant supervision for choking risks. He still needs help toileting. And that’s just the start. Medicaid was designed for people like him, our most vulnerable. And I am grateful for it. In between passing laws barring misgendering and expanding tax credits to buy electric bicycles, the state legislature plans to cut in half the Medicaid support Chance, and people like him, receive. This is the funding he requires to live. So yeah, this one’s personal. Blowing up Medicaid Not many years ago, the following sentence would be unimaginable. Medicaid spending is now a larger percentage of our state budget than education spending. So, if Medicaid is the top priority, why are they cutting Chance’s life support by 50%? Because, since 2009 Colorado’s population grew about…

People in this episode

Host: Independence Institute

Topics covered

• disability rights
• Medicaid cuts
• Colorado politics
• vulnerable populations
• legislative impact

Keywords

• disability
• Medicaid
• Colorado legislature
• Down syndrome
• healthcare funding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Colorado, Medicaid

More episodes of Freedom Unaffiliated

• Gov. Polis Rejects Multiple Bills, Brings Veto Total To A Dozen · June 9, 2026 · 6 min
• Moderates are Not Our Salvation · June 8, 2026 · 6 min
• Public School Teacher Strikes are Intolerable · May 25, 2026 · 7 min
• Colorado’s one-party rulers steadily chip away at democracy · May 13, 2026 · 6 min
• The True Danger to Democracy isn't Trump, its Democrats · May 11, 2026 · 7 min
• Flipping the script: Coloradans no longer run their government · May 7, 2026 · 6 min