cared about the people that were losing their lives to addiction in the United States,” Pettersen said. In December, Trump signed an Executive Order designating Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Democrats held up the SUPPORT Act’s reauthorization in the spring of 2025, despite near-unanimous support for the bill when it passed in 2018. “I am confused [that] we are working on the SUPPORT Act while [the] administration is working independently of Congress to undermine its aims,” Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette said in an interview with Politico last April, as the bill stalled in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Beyond staffing cuts, Pettersen said changes to federal Medicaid waiver policy could have life-threatening consequences for people seeking treatment. She cited new restrictions on the Section 1115 waiver, which Colorado and 39 other states have used to expand access to substance use disorder care through Medicaid. Section 1115 waivers allow states to expand Medicaid coverage beyond traditional limits when they can demonstrate cost savings over time, a tool Colorado has relied on to fund addiction treatment. In 2020, Pettersen helped usher in Colorado’s waiver that offers individuals on Medicaid access to substance use disorder treatment. Under the waiver, states were allowed to cover services not traditionally reimbursed by Medicaid if they could show long-term cost savings. Pettersen said new federal language now requires states to prove immediate cost neutrality, a standard she called impossible to meet. Pettersen said the change effectively eliminates the waiver as a tool to treat individuals. “What’s happening at the federal level to our entire health care system is just devastating,” she said. “It’s gut-wrenching to think about the lives that we are going to lose unnecessarily.” Pettersen’s advocacy on addiction policy is deeply personal. She has spoken publicly about her mother’s struggles with substance use disorder and the impact it had on her growing up. She struggled to find help and care for her mother because treatment options were financially out of reach. “People like my mom, who are unable to afford the care that they need, are going to be left with nowhere to go,” Pettersen said. “The state of Colorado and the federal government spent over $1 million in one year keeping her alive while she was in critical condition from overdosing instead of providing access to the medical care that she needed.” Pettersen said eliminating Medicaid waivers as a funding tool for treatment is short-sighted and deadly for those who can’t find care. “This is a health condition, and we need to treat it that way,” Pettersen said. “Without providing people a path to get the care that they need, and to live in recovery, we’re costing taxpayers significantly more over time. We’re also going to lose countless lives.” The SUPPORT Act does not replace Medicaid coverage or the 1115 waiver, Pettersen explained, but instead reauthorizes funding for programs that Medicaid cannot cover. Pettersen said much of the federal legislation reshaping health and social service programs will not take effect until after the midterm elections, giving Colorado limited time to prepare. “This is going to hit us across the United States and decimate the progress that we’ve made,” she said. Pettersen said stigma remains one of the biggest barriers to addiction treatment and said she feels a responsibility to continue advocating for people with substance use disorder. “Stigma around addiction is very real,” she said. “It’s the greatest barrier that people face in getting the care that they need. I will never stop fighting for people like my mom who have a medical condition and not a moral failing.” While she described the moment as difficult, Pettersen said she draws hope from local efforts in Colorado. “The hope that I have is in the people I see every day on the ground who are rolling up their sleeves to fill critical needs,” Pettersen said. “It’s going to be a rough road ahead, but in Colorado, we are resilient.” PUZZLES PUZZLES COURTESY OF STREET WISE A P R O N S M S H I M M Y H C L F W J G H P T A T G A R B H A F E O C A P E A N R S L I P Y C T Z O W E T N B O K D B S E O E T B L I G A C A R H A T T A V W S U L E D R E R A M O T T E E S H S Y J O B R D K L E W Q E S O O B M M L O F R E X G T D H T X E Y P S M O C K I B U S H J A C K E T Y A S I W O N T T K H T U R B A N N H C O I H A L T E R S A R I S E O T C O I M A N T L E M A B P W S L O L J E R S E Y S O C K L C M D S H R O U D P R U F F SEARCH Anorak Apron Bib Boots Bra Busby Bush jacket Cape Cloak Coat Cowl Dolman Fez Garb Halter Hat 8 5 3 9 4 7 3 8 6 2 DENVER VOICE 3 9 6 8 5 5 7 2 3 7 1 13 Hood Hose Jersey Layette Mantle Mask Mini Robe 9 Rompers Ruff Sari Sash Shawl Shimmy Shoe Shroud 2 4 Slip Smock Sock Spencer Stole Suit Tabard Tails Tam Tarboosh Togs Tunic Turban Tweeds Vest Woolly
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