Caring Economy

ECE supports for 105 students at Metropolitan State University Denver improved educator retention, accelerated career advancement, and boosted professional knowledge and confidence.

The federal budget law passed in July 2025, known as HR1 or the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” will have profoundly negative  impacts on health care access and affordability, especially in rural Colorado. HR1 is beginning to show its impact with higher insurance premiums, but more significant changes will be phased in over the next seven years including higher uninsured rates, even more unaffordable premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and the closure of hospitals and clinics.

Several Colorado communities have put child care funding questions on the 2025 ballot, efforts intended to pay for much-needed services the state does not have the resources to support.

The caring economy includes the people and systems that provide care across all stages of life. This workforce is broad and often under-recognized, but it plays a critical role in keeping families, communities, and the overall economy strong.

Federal lawmakers have cut critical supports to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. See where the greatest concentration of usage of federal benefits were slashed.

With the close of the 2025 Colorado legislative session, we took stock of our state’s progress on issues key to economic mobility.

As federal and state budget cuts loom, maintaining and building upon the progress Colorado has made to support older adults will require more intentionality and dedication to creating an inclusive state where everyone has the ability to age in the way they’d prefer.

The 2025 legislative session could be a bumpy ride, driven by scarcity and the need to make substantial cuts to the Colorado state budget for 2025-26.

The reasons for Colorado’s budget crises are multifold. Yet, an undeniably significant portion of our challenges stem from growing Medicaid costs, particularly those attributable to a rapidly growing population of aging Coloradans.