Colorado Checkup: Wednesday, July 29, 2026

My Search for a Psychiatric Bed in an Overburdened Health System
By Helen Santoro and Oona Zenda
Over the past 70 years, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds has dropped dramatically, leaving many without critical care when they experience mental health crises. I was one of the lucky ones to get a bed — after 21 hours of waiting.

To Afford Aging in Place, Older Adults Turn to ‘Golden Girls’ Housing
By Paula Span
A growing network of home-sharing programs is helping people find compatible housemates. And demand is rising, driven by housing shortages, rising rents, and sales prices that affect both the old and the young.

Severely Ill Prisoners Granted Early Release Are Left Stuck Behind Bars
By Ashley Mizuo
Prisoners with severe medical conditions can be granted compassionate release, but without a long-term care facility willing to accept them, many continue to wait in prison as their conditions worsen.

Copay Assistance Is Meant To Defray Patient Drug Costs. Some Insurers Keep It Instead.
By Daniel Chang
Drugmakers provide financial assistance to help patients afford increasingly expensive medications. But some insurers do not count those payments toward a plan’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum and make patients pay instead.

Facing Funding Losses, States Call Out Big Businesses With Employees on Medicaid
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
With the federal Medicaid work requirements looming in January, Democrats are considering state legislation to call out big companies that employ workers enrolled in the safety net health program. Business giants such as Amazon and Walmart said the figures are misleading.