A recent non-partisan survey highlights the key concerns of Colorado’s Latino population, revealing that economic stability, access to health care, and immigration policy are top priorities for this demographic. Conducted between July 10 and August 6, the statewide poll included 1,700 Latino respondents and had a margin of error of ±2.4 percent. The study was commissioned by Voces Unidas and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), and carried out in both English and Spanish, including interviews with 455 non-voters.
Economic issues remain central, with many expressing anxiety over rising living costs and job security. However, immigration reform and protections for undocumented individuals also emerged as critical, with one in five participants identifying these as urgent matters. This concern aligns with actions taken by the federal government to expand deportation efforts and increase the presence of immigration enforcement agents.
Trust in government data handling remains low: 53 percent of respondents do not believe state agencies will safeguard personal information from being shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite laws prohibiting such cooperation. At the local level, that skepticism rises to 54 percent. Additionally, 61 percent oppose any voluntary disclosure of data about immigrant children to federal authorities, while only 39 percent support such sharing.
On enforcement practices, 56 percent of participants oppose ICE agents concealing their identities during operations, and 84 percent agree that all law enforcement officers in Colorado should wear visible badges, use body cameras, operate in marked vehicles, and uphold dignity in their interactions. Only 38 percent believe ICE should have the authority to detain individuals based on suspicion of undocumented status.
Health care access and affordability are also pressing. Approximately one-third of insured Latinos in Colorado rely on Medicaid for coverage. Federal funding reductions threaten to strip hundreds of thousands of residents of their health insurance. If coverage is lost, 40 percent of respondents said they would delay or skip medical treatments, and the same proportion anticipate being unable to afford essential medications. About 30 percent expect to accumulate debt or face collections as a result.
Dusti Gurule, President and CEO of COLOR, emphasized the wide-ranging consequences of health care cuts, affecting employment, housing stability, and overall quality of life. She noted that state legislators are preparing for a special session to address a billion-dollar budget shortfall, which will likely result in difficult decisions.
Meanwhile, health insurance premiums on the individual market are expected to rise sharply, especially since Congress has not extended pandemic-era tax credits that help lower costs through Connect for Health Colorado. Reducing health care expenses ranked as the third most important policy goal for both state (26 percent) and federal (25 percent) governments.
Half of respondents reported stable health, while 16 percent said their condition has deteriorated. Nearly a third expressed dissatisfaction or indifference toward the quality of care received, with 29 percent specifically citing cost as a barrier. Nine percent of those surveyed lack health insurance, with non-registered voters nearly three times more likely to be uninsured (15 percent) compared to registered voters (6 percent). The primary reasons cited for being uninsured include unaffordable premiums (20 percent), lack of employer-offered coverage (20 percent), job loss (19 percent), and loss of eligibility for public programs (12 percent).
— news from Colorado Public Radio
— News Original —
Colorado Latinos rank economy, immigration and health care as top concerns in new poll
While economic issues continue to top the list of concerns for Latinos in Colorado, a new, non-partisan poll also delved into two topics that have been making recent headlines: Medicaid and immigration. n nThe Colorado Latino Policy Agenda gives an annual snapshot of how the second-largest and the second fastest growing ethnic population in the state is feeling about pressing political issues. n nA key issue on Latinos’ minds is immigration. One in five surveyed said immigration reform and protecting immigrants is a top priority, especially considering the current steps taken by the Trump administration to increase deportations, including more activity by federal immigration officials to round up and detain undocumented people. n nThey also expressed worry about increased collaboration and sharing of information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. By a 53 to 47 degree margin, Colorado Latinos do not trust that state government agencies will keep data safe and not share it with ICE, even though state law forbids that kind of cooperation. The number was a little bit higher, 54 to 46, when it comes to concerns local police may share data with ICE. n n“Similarly, 61 percent of Latinos in Colorado reject (governments) volunteering to share identifiable data about the whereabouts, specifically of immigrant children in Colorado. Again, sharing that information with the Trump administration and ICE — only 39 percent support,” said Gabriel Sanchez, who led the poll for BSP Research. n nIn July, Colorado joined a multistate coalition in a lawsuit to block the mass transfer of individual personal data to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. n nThe month before, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers Medicaid, made a voluminous data request to Colorado’s agency that administers Medicaid, as well as their counterparts in more than half a dozen states. n nWhen it comes to on the ground immigration enforcement, a majority of poll respondents (56-44) did not think ICE agents should be allowed to use masks or hide their identities, and 84 percent agreed that law enforcement officers in Colorado should always identify themselves, wear body cameras, drive clearly marked vehicles and treat everyone with dignity and respect. n n“They want folks to be treated with respect and they think it’s just obvious that it should be a transparent process,” Sanchez said. n nAlong that vein, Sanchez added that only 38 percent of those surveyed agreed that ICE should be allowed to stop anyone they suspect of being undocumented. n n“Obviously, a lot of Latinos in Colorado recognize, even if they’re far removed from the immigrant experience themselves, we don’t want a policy environment where it’s fair game to essentially look for folks who they might perceive look like immigrants and detain or deport those individuals.” n nThe statewide poll of 1,700 Latinos, done July 10 – Aug. 6, was commissioned by Voces Unidas and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR). It was conducted in both English and Spanish. It included 455 non-voters. The margin of error was ±2.4%. n nViews on Medicaid and health care n nHealth care costs and access are also critical issues for Colorado Latinos, according to the poll. n nBoth will be impacted by federal cuts from the Trump administration to Medicaid, the federal-state program which provides health coverage to low-income individuals and families, including children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities. n nMany states, like Colorado, expanded Medicaid to provide health care to adults with incomes below a certain threshold. n n“A large segment, essentially a third of Latinos in Colorado who are covered by health insurance, are covered by Medicaid,” said Sanchez. n nHundreds of thousands of Coloradans are expected to lose health care coverage in the wake of deep cuts to the health care program spelled out in the federal tax and spending bill that passed last month. n nAccording to the poll, four in 10 said they would begin to skip or delay treatments if they were to lose health coverage. The same percentage said they would not be able to afford out-of-pocket medical costs and/or life-saving medications; 30 percent reported that they would go into debt or face collections. n n“There’s still some potential harmful impacts that we’re monitoring not just on Medicaid, but also other safety net programs that we’ve created here in Colorado,” said Dusti Gurule, President and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR). n nShe noted Colorado lawmakers are set to return to the state Capitol Thursday for a special session to address a billion-dollar budget hole. Cuts are inevitable and will be deeply felt, she said. n n“We know that folks who don’t have health insurance, those impacts are going to be far-reaching with regard to how they live their life, right?” Gurule said. “Their time off from work, their being able to pay rent if they can’t get their medication. So I think they (health cuts) are very harmful,” n nThe polling comes as Coloradans on the individual market are expected to face sharply rising health insurance rates. Congress has not yet renewed COVID-era tax credits, which help tens of thousands of Coloradans afford to buy health insurance through the state’s marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado. n n“Lowering health care cost” ranked as the third most commonly noted priority for both the federal (25 percent) and state (26 percent) governments to address. n nOverall health for this population has remained the same for about half of respondents, while 16 percent reported it’s gotten worse. Nearly a third are either dissatisfied or indifferent about the quality of medical care they receive, including 29 percent who said they’re dissatisfied with the cost. n nNine percent of Latinos polled said they lack health insurance, with Latinos who aren’t registered to vote being nearly three times as likely (15 percent) to be uninsured as voters (6 percent). n nThe most common reasons why someone polled lacks health insurance are: cannot afford it (20 percent), their employer does not offer health insurance (20 percent), or they lost a job that provided health insurance (19 percent). Another 12 percent said that they are no longer eligible for public insurance programs.