Colorado Hospitals Continue to See High Rates of Uninsured Patients
DENVER, COLO. – Dec. 5, 2025
While some recent reports show that Colorado’s uninsured rate remain low, Colorado hospitals continue to see dramatically higher rates of uninsured patients than before the Medicaid unwind, as noted in CHA’s Q2 2025 “Colorado Hospital Industry Update.” The limited scope of those reports does not account for patients who are newly eligible for Medicaid, those who fell off the rolls completely during the unwind, and population growth.
What the data really show:
- Charity care costs are escalating rapidly, up an additional 17% in Q2 2025 after nearly 60% increase in 2024.
- The increase in uncompensated charity care costs is related to the rise in uninsured patients and continued growth of the Hospital Discounted Care program.
- About 15,000 patients ended up in a hospital Emergency Department (ED) without insurance in May 2025. While the uninsured rate of patients in the ED has moderated since peaking in July 2024, rates remain 20% higher than pre-COVID baselines.
- In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau data show that Colorado’s uninsured rate increased from 2023 to 2024, increasing from 6.7% to 7.9%.
These mounting pressures are compounded on a health care system that is already on the brink. Nearly 70 percent of Colorado hospitals ended 2024 with margins deemed unsustainable, and more cuts are on the horizon as H.R. 1 begins to take effect.
Colorado’s hospitals are sounding the alarm: the story on the ground simply does not match the narrow picture painted by recent reports. Behind the headline of “low uninsured rates” is a growing crisis that hospitals confront every day – more patients arriving without coverage, rapidly rising charity care costs, and a system still straining under years of financial pressure. With enhanced premium tax credits expiring and new federal requirements in H.R. 1 expected to push even more Coloradans off Medicaid, the situation will only worsen. Hospitals are preparing for another wave of uninsured patients and even deeper financial instability. Colorado cannot afford to ignore these real-world trends; we need solutions that strengthen coverage and protect access to care and that require accountability from the state, not policies that leave more people uninsured and hospitals with fewer resources to serve their communities.
About CHA
CHA is the leading voice of Colorado’s hospital and health system community. Representing more than 100 member hospitals and health systems throughout the state, CHA serves as a trusted, credible, and reliable resource on health issues, hospital data and trends for its members, media, policymakers, and the general public. Through CHA, Colorado’s hospitals and health systems work together in their shared commitment to improve health and health care in Colorado. Learn more at www.cha.com.
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