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The Trust Project

Original Reporting This article contains firsthand information gathered by reporters. This includes directly interviewing sources and analyzing primary source documents.
References This article includes a list of source material, including documents and people, so you can follow the story further.
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Yes.

Nearly 60% of Denver Health’s $1.5 billion in revenue comes from public funding through Medicare and Medicaid. 

The Denver Health hospital provides health care to almost a quarter of Denver’s residents each year. Known as a safety net hospital, it accepts patients regardless of their ability to pay for services or their insurance status. 

The nonprofit Denver Health Foundation helps raise funds through donations for the Denver Health and Hospital Authority, which oversees the city’s health services and facilities. Denver Health was founded in 1860, and the Hospital Authority was established in 1997. The city of Denver contributes about 4% of the hospital’s funding. 

Denver approved ballot measure 2Q in 2024 to create a 0.34% sales tax. The tax is expected to generate $70 million for Denver Health and the Hospital Authority, but will not entirely cover the deficit in operational spending.

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References:

Email to ֱ, Denver Health, Mar. 18, 2025.

Continuing Disclosure Document For Fiscal Year 2023, p11, Denver Health, accessed in March 2025.

Denver Health is at a “critical point” due to rising costs and treating uninsured patients, but its city funding is staying the same, Denverite, Sept. 22, 2023.

About Denver Health, Denver Health, accessed in March 2025.

ֱ, Denver Health Foundation, accessed in March 2025.

Ballot Measure 2Q Passes to Bolster Funding for Denver Health, Denver Health, Nov. 8, 2024.

Denver County, Colorado ballot measures, Ballotpedia, accessed in March 2025.

How Denver Health fell into dire financial straits — and what it would take to resuscitate the city’s safety-net hospital, The Denver Post, Apr. 29, 2024.

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Por recently graduated from CU Boulder with a master’s degree in journalism and is interested in writing about the environment and exploring local stories. When not working on some form of writing, Por is either looking for Thai food or petting...