Colorado Consumer Health Initiative says at least 700,000 Coloradans are in collections due to unpaid medical bills. Under state law, debt collectors can seize their wages and even put a lien on their house.

“It’s just pushing people over the edge,” says Democratic state Rep. Junie Joseph, who says the medical bills are personal to her. These types of bills affected her as the daughter of a single mother and as a college student. 

“They were constantly calling me, ‘Hey, Junie, you need to pay $1,000 here or $2,000 there,” Joseph explained. 

Joseph and Democratic state Rep. Javier Mabrey are proposing legislation that bars providers from collecting medical debt by garnishing wages, seizing assets below $30,000, or placing a lien on a person’s primary home.

“You should not be at risk of losing your home just because yo get sick in this country, Mabrey told CBS Colorado. 

Rocio Leal is among thousands of Coloradans in debt due to medical bills. She says she had a good job with insurance and thought she was financially secure. Then, her son got sick.

“When he was a toddler, around three, he had to have emergency surgery,” Leal told CBS Colorado. 

Leal was still paying the hospital that delivered her son when another hospital began billing her for the surgery. Despite being insured, she says she owed $7,000. When Leal couldn’t pay, she says, the hospitals began garnishing her wages.

“There was so many times my electricity was shut off,” Leal said. “There was times I was almost facing eviction.”

Desperate, Leal took out high-interest payday loans. Twenty years later, she’s still paying them off.

“Just for being sick,” she said. 

Mabrey says UCHealth is the biggest offender regarding wage garnishment.

But the health system insists it only garnishes wages as a last resort after repeatedly contacting patients, making sure they’re not eligible for assistance, and offering zero interest payment plans. 

UCHealth says it provided more than $760 million in uncompensated care in 2025 alone.

The Colorado Hospital Association — which opposes the bill — says state laws require all hospitals to screen patients for discounted care, wait six months before garnishing wages, and provide 30 days’ notice. It’s also barred from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus and required to erase debt in some cases.

The Hospital Association says the bill could cause some rural hospitals to close. But Mabrey says other states have similar laws and hospitals are still in business.

The bill goes before the House Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday.  

Leal, who is a diabetic, says she still worries about going in debt every time she goes to the doctor. 

“I don’t want anybody else to go through what I’ve been through,” Leal said. 

DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado teenager who lost her leg in a shark attack isn’t just walking again; she’s sharing the spotlight with one of her favorite hockey players.

Seventeen-year-old Annabelle Carlson took the runway Sunday at the Colorado Avalanche’s annual charity brunch, an event that raises money for community programs supported by Kroenke Sports Charities. The fundraiser, now in its third decade, is considered one of the team’s most impactful events of the year.

Carlson walked arm-in-arm with Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, drawing applause from a crowd of more than 450 attendees.

Standing tall again has been a long journey for the Colorado high school student. Carlson lost her leg after surviving a shark attack during a family trip to Belize in 2024. Since then, she has undergone multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.

“I think being negative about things like this — it takes such a toll on how you view yourself and how you get through things,” Carlson said. “But I’d rather see everything like, not everything you lose is a loss.”

Carlson has now returned to skiing and hopes to pick back up with playing her favorite sport, lacrosse. But it took a lot of guts and resilience to get to where she is now.

“In my eyes, she’s extraordinary,” Landeskog said. “What she’s gone through at that age, it’s not easy to do.”

The charity event highlights children who have overcome serious medical challenges, pairing them with Avalanche players for a runway walk to spotlight their strength. Players also served brunch and helped auction off team gear and game tickets.

“It was really cool to meet him,” Carlson said of Landeskog. “It’s definitely a flex. Not everyone gets to meet the Avalanche. I’m super lucky and super excited to be here.”

Having gone through some injuries of his own, including damage to his knee, which took him out of play for several seasons, Landeskog said Carlson’s attitude is remarkable.

“She’s young, she’s brave,” he said. “I feel like she’s got a better head on her shoulders than I do, so I feel like I can learn a lot from her as well.”

The team said many players stay in touch with the children and their families long after the event ends, adding that the annual brunch is a day the whole team looks forward to each year.