Denver Health, Colorado’s biggest safety net provider, is on the brink of a major crisis due to unpaid medical care costs as the state grapples with a historic influx of undocumented immigrants.
Dr. Steven Federico, chief government and community affairs officer for Denver Health, points to the thousands of migrants using the new health system — some of whom can’t cover costs or don’t have medical insurance, according to the Denver Gazette.
Between 2022 and 2023, Denver Health saw an additional $10 million in uncompensated care. Dr. Donna Lynne, CEO of Denver Health, told local outlets the hospital had $60 million in uncompensated care in 2020, but by 2022, that number increased to $125 million, hitting about $136 million last year.
Venezuelan migrants are living in Denver hotels, on sidewalks, and in cars, with shelters overrun, and Federico said it’s common for patients to come in with a number of medical problems after making the long trek to the U.S.
“It’s not surprising when they get to Denver that there’s severe and acute healthcare needs,” Federico said.
New patients migrating from South America and Central America accounted for about 8,000 people and 20,000 visits, Federico said. City data show Denver has helped more than 35,000 migrants since the first buses arrived a year ago.
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said Denver is taking in more migrants per capita than any other large U.S. city — a shocking reality for a state that doesn’t flank the border.
“Denver is ground zero for America’s migrant crisis because we are the single largest recipient per capita of migrants of any city,” Johnston told Politico earlier this month. “We are averaging about 200-250 people that arrive every day by buses from the border. We have more than 4,500 people in the shelter system on any given night. Our migrant arrivals over the last year have added 5% to the entire city’s population alone.”
