DENVER, Colo. (KOAA) — Parent caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities rallied outside the Colorado State Capitol on Tuesday to protest proposed Medicaid and healthcare cuts they say would directly impact their families.
The demonstrators gathered on Intellectual and Developmental Disability Awareness Day, saying they wanted to confront lawmakers face to face rather than continue sending emails or phone calls that went unanswered.
Deana Cairo, president of Colorado Advocates for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, said legislators went out of their way to avoid the crowd.
"We came out here today specifically to be here so that legislators who have been avoiding us, who haven't been responding to our requests for meetings, would be forced to see us on Intellectual and Developmental Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol, and they altered their route to go to lunch to avoid us," said Cairo.
Cairo made clear the group has no intention of backing down.
"You can't hide from us forever because November is coming," said Cairo.
News5 spoke with Susan Root in January about a proposed 56-hour weekly cap on paid caregiving hours. Root said Tuesday's rally is the first of many to come, fearing that unresolved cuts could resurface when the new fiscal year begins.
ALSO READ | State proposes cutting paid caregiving hours from 112 to 56 per week for Colorado families
"All of the cuts that they're proposing just keep coming back again and again, and then of course in July we have a new start of the fiscal year, so then we're going to have potentially everything brought back that wasn't heard this time," said Root.
For some attendees, simply getting to the Capitol was a challenge, but parent caregiver Casey Barrett said the effort was worthwhile.
"Parking is not always the easiest, but I think it's nice to know that we're not alone. There is a very significant community involved in all of this, and it's comforting to know that everybody else is potentially facing the same things that I am," said Barrett.
The rally drew the attention of at least one lawmaker, Democratic State Rep. Robert Marshall of Highlands Ranch, who acknowledged the difficult tradeoffs facing the legislature.
"Medicaid and healthcare is taking the brunt of the cuts. We made promises we really can't keep in the past, but our priorities should be their community, even if we do have to cut," said Marshall.
Barrett emphasized the vulnerability of the population at the center of the debate.
"We're not a large population, you know, we are kind of a minority, but we're a very fragile minority," said Barrett.
ALSO READ | Colorado caregiving weekly hour cap remains uncertain after legislative back-and-forth
Root echoed that concern, warning of broader consequences if the cuts move forward.
"This is going to be very detrimental, detrimental to our community, to our families," said Root.
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