Colorado Democrats in Congress dig in on health care demands as government shutdown drags on 

With the federal government shutdown now in its second week, Colorado Democrats in Congress haven’t budged on their demands for Republicans to extend health care subsidies as a condition of ending the stalemate. 

During a virtual call with reporters on Wednesday, Colorado lawmakers said they would not vote for a government funding bill if it didn’t include an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year. 

Without those tax credits, insurance premiums purchased on Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s individual marketplace, are set to skyrocket in 2026, with many households projected to see a doubling or tripling of their monthly premium. 

Because open enrollment for those health plans begins on Nov. 1, Democrats say Congress has just weeks left to work out a deal that will avoid dramatic price increases. They also want to reverse some of the cuts to Medicaid that were passed in July as part of Republicans’ and President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

“We’ve been clear from the start,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper. “We’re not going to support this funding bill, which is completely created by Republicans, with horrible consequences … until they’re going to restore at least some portion of health care they took away from us.” 

Failure to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies will have an outsized impact on rural resort areas, which already contend with higher health insurance costs and chronic rates of uninsurance. 

Rep. Joe Neguse, whose 2nd Congressional District includes central and northern mountain communities, said households in his district could be paying “some of the highest health insurance rates in the United States” if the tax credits expire. 

For a family of four on the Western Slope making over 400% of the federal poverty line — $128,600 annually — insurance premiums could jump by $25,000 a year, according to an analysis by the Colorado Division of Insurance. 

That’s because if the tax credits expire, it will both shrink benefits for lower-income enrollees and eliminate benefits for those making over 400% of the federal poverty line. 

Republican leaders have said they’re open to discussing an extension of the subsidies, but only after government funding is approved. Colorado Democrats, however, said there’s been virtually zero negotiation from GOP leadership on the issue. 

Just over a dozen House Republicans, along with some moderate House Democrats, introduced a bill last month that would extend the tax credits for another year. Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction Republican who represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, is a supporter of that measure. 

Hurd, in a previous interview, expressed optimism that more Republicans and Democrats would sign onto that measure, saying he is someone ​​who “on the Republican side, is committed to finding a solution.”

But most Democrats are holding out for a permanent or even multi-year extension. Hickenlooper said that while a one-year extension “doesn’t seem like enough,” he would do “almost anything” to reach a deal to reopen the government. 

Hickenlooper also said it’s unclear if Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson would be willing to support a one-year extension as part of a government funding bill. 

“He hasn’t offered to negotiate around terms like that,” Hickenlooper said. “Come to the table, let’s have the discussion.”

The shutdown fight is currently stuck in the Senate, where most Democrats have refused to vote for a Republican House-passed government funding bill. At the same time, Senate Republicans have blocked Democrats’ own funding proposal, which includes a permanent extension of the tax credits. 

Because of the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for most legislation, Republicans — who hold a 53-vote majority in the chamber — still need Democratic votes to pass a funding bill. The House has not been in session since before the shutdown began, part of a pressure campaign by Republicans to force Senate Democrats to pass the House’s funding bill and send it to President Donald Trump’s desk. 

Democrats on Wednesday’s call also addressed allegations from Republicans that they want to provide health care subsidies for undocumented immigrants who are in the country illegally. 

Undocumented immigrants are already unable to receive Affordable Care Act tax credits. Immigrants who are “lawfully present,” meaning they are a refugee, asylee or have some other form of protected status, can currently receive the subsidy but will no longer be able to starting in 2027 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

The same is mostly true for Medicaid, though the federal government does reimburse hospitals for uncompensated care if they treat undocumented immigrants in what is known as Emergency Medicaid. Refugees, asylees and other lawfully present immigrants will also lose their ability to receive Medicaid starting in 2026. 

Colorado has state-funded programs that extend private insurance and Medicaid coverage to some undocumented immigrants. 

Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who represents Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, said Republicans’ rhetoric around immigrants and health care “is incredibly disturbing — that they continue to spread lies and misinformation around this.” 

Hickenlooper said that not supporting an extension of the tax credits would be politically unpopular and could cost Republicans in a swing district to lose their seat during the 2026 midterms. 

“So we’re giving them the chance to make a smart political decision,” he said, “while, at the same time, helping millions.” 

Hickenlooper said he could not predict how much longer the shutdown would last, but said “if we roll over,” it sends a message to Americans that “health care doesn’t matter.”