Attorney General Phil Weiser acts to protect health care access for Coloradans, keep coverage for Dreamers

April 14, 2025 (DENVER) – Attorney General Phil Weiser today joined 20 other attorneys general on a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services opposing proposed changes that would undermine the Affordable Care Act, or ACA (PDF download). The changes would make it more difficult and expensive for Coloradans to enroll in health coverage on federal and state health insurance exchanges and also would prevent 19,000 Dreamers living in Colorado from buying health insurance on the exchanges.

If allowed to take effect, the proposed ACA changes will cause between 750,000 and 2 million people to lose health insurance coverage in 2026 and will create significant cost increases for the state just as lawmakers slash hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of people are able to see a doctor, get treatment, and live healthier lives, and I won’t sit back and let the Trump administration put their access to health care at risk,” said Weiser. “This rule change means fewer choices and higher costs for everyone and could leave Dreamers without any health care in the only home they’ve ever known.”

In 2024, HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a final rule increasing patient access to state and federal exchanges under the ACA. This rule allows those who have temporary protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, the recipients of which are known as Dreamers, to purchase affordable health insurance on ACA exchanges.

Last month, the Trump administration initiated the process of undoing this rule. If it goes through, Dreamers will lose their access to affordable health coverage. The move would harm everyone in Colorado because if these residents lose access to preventive medical care via their insurance, they may need to seek expensive emergency room care, harming public health and economic well-being for Colorado communities.

Other proposed changes, such as forcing all state exchanges to shorten their open enrollment periods, instead of allowing them to run for longer periods, only create more barriers, fewer options, and potentially higher health care costs for all.

Another part of the rule would allow health insurance plans to deny enrollment to anyone who once missed even a single payment for a health insurance premium, no matter how long ago the missed payment occurred. The rule does not require insurers to notify their consumers if they implement this policy—meaning consumers could be denied coverage without being aware that their denial is because they owe a past-due premium. In previous rulemaking, the federal government recognized that nonpayment could be due to a variety of factors and that insurers currently have sufficient methods to collect past-due payments.

In addition, the rule would prohibit states from including coverage for gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit, representing a dangerous intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship that would prevent care that is known to be safe and effective. The Trump administration claims, without evidence, that gender-affirming care is rarely covered in employer-based health plans. In fact, surveys indicate that coverage for these benefits has expanded significantly, with 72% of Fortune 500 companies offer gender-affirming care in 2024, up from 0% in 2002.

This is the latest action Weiser has taken to protect health coverage. Weiser previously joined other state attorneys general in a motion to intervene to defend health coverage for DACA recipients (opens new window).

Joining Colorado in sending the comment letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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Media Contact:
Lawrence Pacheco
Chief Communications Officer
(720) 508-6553 office | (720) 245-4689 cell
lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov