Colorado was one of 32 states that expanded Medicaid when Obamacare launched in 2014. That expansion has had a “significant positive” impact on Colorado’s economy, according to a report commissioned by the Colorado Health Foundation.
The report found that Colorado added more than 30,000 jobs and raised annual household earnings by $643. And the increased economic activity due to Medicaid added $3.8 billion to Colorado’s economy.
“The influx of dollars from the Medicaid expansion, it does get redistributed in communities. It initially goes into the healthcare system, but then is really injected into the economy,” said the foundation's Alexis Weightman.
Some conservatives have been sharply critical of Medicaid expansion because of the cost.
The Colorado Health Foundation funds health coverage on Colorado Public Radio.
