Colorado Democrats are seeking to require large corporations to pay thousands of dollars per employee who relies on the Medicaid program for health insurance. The fee would apply to companies that demonstrate offering affordable health coverage to their employees if they can provide it. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Feret, would create the Large Employer Health-Care Support Enterprise in the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, with fees paid by the large corporations. This move is part of a broader effort by the state legislature to find new revenue to finance spending amid a $1.5 billion deficit. The proposed legislation, which would go into effect until 2028, would cost the state of about $200,000 in the 2026-27 budget and almost $1 million in the following year. The cost of Medicaid has increased significantly over the past eight years, with costs nearly doubling in just a year and could threaten to squeeze Colorado's budget amid a shortfall. Critics argue that large corporations benefit from government-funded health coverage while not directly paying for the cost themselves.