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State Rep. Katie Stewart visits San Juan County; discusses health care, school meals and lodging-tax options
Summary
State Rep. Katie Stewart met with San Juan County commissioners and residents to hear local concerns and discuss state-level issues including enhanced premium tax credits for health insurance, school-meal funding on the November ballot and proposed measures to help counties fund child care and EMS services.
State Rep. Katie Stewart visited San Juan County on Sept. 10 and met with county officials and residents to discuss health care, education funding and rural community priorities, including an overview of several state and federal policy items that could affect the county.
Why this matters: Elected officials and county leaders said they want better communication and more opportunities for local input when state and federal representatives visit rural communities. Stewart described pending state and federal policy changes that could affect local budgets and service delivery, particularly for health care and child care.
Key topics discussed - Health insurance and premium tax credits: Stewart urged local officials to contact Colorado's congressional delegation to support extension of enhanced premium tax credits that help residents afford marketplace insurance. She warned that congressional inaction could raise premiums substantially for residents who do not qualify for Medicaid.
- SNAP and Medicaid changes: Stewart said portions of recent federal legislation will expand work requirements first for SNAP and later for Medicaid; Colorado will await federal guidance and then set implementation rules. County staff said they expect SNAP changes in the coming months and Medicaid changes by Jan. 1, 2027, and that the state—s Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) will need significant updates.
- School meals and the November ballot: Stewart said a proposed ballot measure would raise revenue to fully fund healthy school meals for all students statewide and that any surplus revenue would help SNAP outreach and administration. She urged voters to read the ballot language and noted the measure targets higher-income taxpayers to avoid broad-based tax increases.
- Child care and preschool funding: Stewart and county leaders compared the Colorado Preschool Program and universal pre-K. Officials said changes to state funding have left small, rural programs short of resources because UPK covers only 4-year-olds while CPP previously served a wider age range.
- EMS and emergency services: Stewart described work on bills to stabilize EMS funding and allow billing for on-scene treatment without transport. County leaders said rural EMS faces recruitment, retention and funding challenges and emphasized search-and-rescue and transport costs that fall to counties.
Local concerns and next steps County officials pressed for better notice when senators or other state leaders travel through small communities so commissioners and local stakeholders can meet with them. Stewart said she would pass feedback to her office and field staff and invited further contact about the items she discussed.
Rep. Stewart also discussed a permissive change to county lodging-tax limits that would allow counties to place an increase on a local ballot to fund services such as child care. County leaders said they may study lodging-tax and other local revenue options ahead of the next budget cycle.
