Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher Visits All Fourteen Rural Hospitals in Colorado’s 4th District

Highlands Ranch, CO – Last week, Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher visited Kit Carson County Hospital in Burlington. The visit marks her fourteenth rural hospital visit, and means that she has now traveled to and met with every rural hospital in Colorado’s 4th District. 

“When I visited my first rural hospital in this district over a year ago, I was told by the CEO there that when you’ve visited one rural hospital, you’ve visited one rural hospital, because each hospital is unique,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “Since that visit, I’ve made it a priority to get out to each rural hospital to hear directly from them about the challenges they’re facing, the needs they have, and the ways their representative in Congress can better serve them. And, although they are all unique, they share many of the same pain points that can be addressed through good, bipartisan legislation.”Laubacher heard about many of the struggles rural hospitals are having, including those that come as a direct result of H.R.1, which Lauren Boebert supported and touts as a good thing for rural hospitals. The cuts to Medicaid in H.R.1 are actively bleeding these hospitals, in a “death by a thousand cuts,” which leaves rural hospitals weaker than ever. Medicaid is a critical source of revenue for rural hospitals and clinics, and these cuts will only increase uncompensated care. 

And many of the federal programs that have been proposed as funding solutions actually trap these hospitals – they’re structured by requirements that prohibit badly needed repairs or restorations to existing parts of the hospital. The Rural Health Transformation Program is one such example, with significant restrictions on funding and requirements that funded activities be innovative; a standard which means a damaged roof or general building repair is not approved, and larger development projects can’t be saved for over a longer period of time. 

“Something I’ve heard across the board is that the federal government spends too much time telling rural hospitals how they should be run, and too little time listening to the hospitals themselves,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “These are people who have dedicated their lives to serving their communities and caring for everyone who comes through their doors. They know more about the rural health care system than politicians in Washington ever will. We should be listening to them about what they need and what they want. And if what they want is to save five years’ worth of funding to break ground on a new hospital building because the current one was built in the 1930s, they should have the opportunity to do that without so many restrictions.”

Laubacher also heard about the need for serious reform when it comes to insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Rural hospitals face higher costs and less bargaining power than their larger hospital and health system counterparts do when it comes to negotiating with insurance companies, and antitrust legislation is used against them to keep them from forming groups to collectively bargain.  

“This is not good-faith practice,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “We need to work to level the playing field for rural hospitals, because they are taken advantage of time and time again. Independent rural hospitals should be allowed to band together and form groups so they have more ground to stand on when negotiating with insurance companies and medical suppliers. We need to ensure that reimbursement rates are fair, and that rural hospitals are given the same pricing point for medical supplies that their larger counterparts are given. And we need to seriously reform insurance companies, because the current system isn’t working for anyone – whether you’re a patient, a provider, or a hospital trying hard just to stay open.”

Something Laubacher has heard across the 4th district is the importance of keeping health care affordable and accessible. Programs like the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which makes prescription medications more affordable, are crucial for rural communities. “We have to work to preserve access to discounted medications that help rural hospitals and other safety-net providers stretch limited resources and continue serving their communities,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “Every American should have access to the medications that keep them healthy, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program is crucial in making these medications affordable.”  

Another key tool in keeping health care accessible, particularly in rural communities, is telehealth. “When I’m in Congress, I’ll work to protect and expand telehealth access and require meaningful insurance coverage so rural Coloradans can see specialists and other providers without traveling hours for routine appointments,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “We need to make sure people are getting the preventative and routine care they need in a way that works for them, so that less people end up getting so sick they need emergency care.” 

Several of the hospitals mentioned the importance of EMS to rural communities. Rural emergency services are often also under incredible strain, as they cover large service areas while dealing with insufficient funding, and staffing and equipment challenges. “Rural communities cannot function without reliable emergency medical services,” said retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “This is a matter of life and death. Federal policy should recognize EMS as essential infrastructure and provide sustainable support for staffing, equipment, and operations.”  

Rural hospitals are the backbone of their communities, and are imperative for the survival of rural America – not just from a health care standpoint, but an economic one, too. These hospitals are frequently among the top three employers in their towns. They understand the unique challenges and needs that each of their communities face, to an extent that no Washington representative could ever attest to. Legislation that is proposed as support for them should be informed by the input of the hospitals themselves. And for Laubacher, their input doesn’t end after one visit. 

“This is only the beginning of my relationship with these hospitals,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “I’m making a commitment to keep these lines of communication open. When I get to Congress, I will set up a Rural Health Advisory Council and continue to work with the good folks at each one of these hospitals to ensure that legislation passed through the House reflects their needs and goals, and sets rural communities up for future success. I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to restore the cuts to Medicaid that threaten our rural hospitals, and pass good, bipartisan legislation that will enable our hospitals to not only survive, but thrive. Rural America and rural health care is not a Republican issue, or a Democrat issue – it’s an American issue.”

View Eileen’s plan to protect rural health care here 

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retired rear admiral eileen laubacher calls for long-term water planning at colorado water congress

Steamboat Springs, CO — Last week, Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher spoke at the Colorado Water Congress in Steamboat Springs. She addressed the leadership problem contributing to the water crisis in Colorado, and stated that while much of this work appropriately belongs at the state and local levels, Colorado’s 4th District is in need of a much stronger partner in Washington.

“A real partner in Congress can help fund conservation and efficiency improvements in partnership with our communities here, not in opposition to them,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “A real partner in Congress can protect Colorado’s interests when federal policy intersects with interstate compacts. And it can make sure that rural communities aren’t handed expensive federal mandates without the resources to comply.”

Laubacher has spent the last 15 months traveling all across the 4th district, visiting all 21 counties and meeting with farmers, ranchers, water providers, and local leaders to hear directly from them about the water problems that rural Colorado faces and “what Washington gets wrong, over and over again, about rural Colorado.” She pledged to continue working with communities and water managers to develop a list of infrastructure priorities and then aggressively and proactively pursue federal funding to support a long-term solution.

“I want to bring agriculture, municipalities, conservancy districts, water providers, and the state together and ask, ‘What does this base need for the next 50 years, and where can the federal government actually help us get this done?” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. She continued that a Congressional office “should not just wait for communities to come asking for money — it should convene people, identify priorities, help navigate federal agencies, pursue authorizations and appropriations and make sure Colorado isn’t leaving federal resources on the table.”

Laubacher pledged to work on three goals while in Congress: keep Colorado farms producing, ensure that communities are supplied with safe drinking water, and build the infrastructure Colorado will need for the next 50 years. She also emphasized the need for strong bipartisan work on the issue of water: “Lauren Boebert has repeatedly opposed major bipartisan federal investments that included funding for water infrastructure,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “I would take a different approach. I am willing to work with anyone and everyone who is serious about solving these problems, because we are already behind.”

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Retired Rear Admirals Eileen Laubacher and Nancy Lacore Condemn Department of Defense Failures Amid USS Lincoln’s Extended Deployment

Highlands Ranch, CO — Rear Admiral (Ret.) Eileen Laubacher, a 34-year Navy veteran and Democratic candidate for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Nancy Lacore, a 35-year Navy Veteran and Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District issued the following joint statement amid reports of deteriorating conditions and declining morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln following an extended deployment supporting U.S. operations against Iran:

“This ill-conceived and unnecessary war is having terrible consequences for our national security and taking a serious toll on our sailors, Marines, and military families. The damage to morale, readiness, and recruitment could last for years,” Laubacher and Lacore said.

“Members of the military understand service and sacrifice. We are prepared to do hard things. But when we send Americans into harm’s way, we owe them a clear mission. The Department of Defense has failed to provide that.

“The Lincoln has remained deployed months beyond its planned return, leaving sailors and their families in limbo while reports emerge of food shortages, water contamination, and deteriorating morale and mental health.”

“I’m glad these sailors and families may finally get some relief,” said Laubacher. “But it should never have taken military families speaking out and mounting media attention to force action. They should not have to wage a public campaign to get our leaders to do the right thing.

“When you’re deployed, you measure time in milestones and holidays,” Laubacher continued.” During my year in Afghanistan, every holiday was a reminder that by the next one, I would be home. These sailors have watched those milestones come and go. Parents are missing the start of school. Families are missing homecomings.”

“On my first deployment, we were operating in that same region as the USS Abraham Lincoln,” said Lacore. “Just like those Sailors, when we left our home port on deployment, we knew when we were supposed to come home. We had an end date, and we were counting down to it. Then something changed in the region and just as we thought we were heading home, our ship turned around and went back to the Gulf. I still remember how mentally crushing it was to realize the date you’ve been holding onto is gone.

“The Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln haven’t experienced that once. They’ve experienced that uncertainty repeatedly. Every extension challenges morale on the ship and adds to the anxiety at home.”

“This is a failure of leadership at the Pentagon and in Congress,” The pair continued. “Pete Hegseth has failed to provide the leadership our service members deserve, and Congress has failed to demand accountability or a clear path forward. Lauren Boebert has voted four times to continue this war. And in South Carolina’s 1st District, Nancy Mace voted to allow it to continue, then failed to show up when Congress had another chance to end it.

“Our sailors, Marines, and military families deserve leaders who understand that decisions made in Washington have real consequences for the people we ask to defend this country.”

If elected this November, Laubacher and Lacore would make history as the first women to have achieved flag or general officer rank in the U.S. military to serve in Congress.

Ending the Second Quarter of 2026 with Over $3.5 Million Cash on Hand, the Laubacher Campaign Shows Increasing Momentum

With another dominating fundraising performance, Eileen Laubacher’s campaign demonstrates growing grassroots support

Highlands Ranch, CO – Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher’s campaign for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District ends the second quarter of 2026 showing increasing momentum. Eileen Laubacher raised more than $1.7 million during the quarter, bringing the campaign's cash on hand to more than $3.5 million. This filing underscores the growing momentum the Laubacher campaign has garnered as voters increasingly look for new leadership focused on lowering costs, protecting healthcare, and delivering results for Colorado families.

“I'm incredibly grateful to the over one- hundred thousand supporters who have invested in this campaign,” said Retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher. “People are tired of rising costs, threats to their healthcare, and leaders who seem more interested in Washington than their own districts. We need leaders who will lower costs, protect healthcare, strengthen our economy, and restore common-sense leadership. I will be that leader, and I'm honored by the support I have received in pursuit of that goal. Together, we're building the campaign that will win in November.”

The contrast in the race is clear. Eileen Laubacher is entering the general election with $3.5 million cash on hand, while incumbent Lauren Boebert reported significantly less in her pre-primary report. Eileen's comes from over 400,000 donations to date while Boebert continues to take money from corporations to fund her campaign.

As voters become increasingly frustrated with rising costs, attacks on healthcare, and partisan dysfunction in Washington, Eileen's message of practical leadership continues to resonate across the district. The second-quarter report makes clear that this race is competitive, momentum is on Eileen's side, and she has the organization and support necessary to win this November.

For more information visit, https://www.eileenforcolorado.com/.

(Ret.) Rear Admiral Elieen Laubacher Endorsed by Veterans On Watch

Highlands Ranch, CO - Today, retired Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher announced the endorsement of Veterans On Watch, a veteran-led organization dedicated to protecting constitutional governance, promoting civic engagement, and ensuring elected officials remain accountable to the people they serve.

“Eileen Laubacher stands for the Constitution we swore to defend and the veterans who swore to defend it. That’s why we stand with her.” said Carla Felts, U.S. Army Veteran, President and Co-Founder of Veterans On Watch.

The endorsement adds to growing support for Laubacher's campaign and reflects her lifelong commitment to service, leadership, and defending the Constitution. Eileen has spent her life serving our nation, beginning her military career as a student in the U.S. Naval Academy under President Reagan and rose to Rear Admiral, serving as an intelligence officer. 

Carla Felts added: “When a platform speaks to the protection of constitutional rights, the integrity of our institutions, the dignity owed to those who served, and the kind of governance our Founders sacrificed to establish — Veterans On Watch (VOW) will say so. Loudly. And without apology. That is why VOW will stand with RADM Eileen Laubacher, USN (Ret.), in her run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Colorado's Fourth Congressional District (CO-04). Her unwavering, principled leadership and commitment to our shared oath to protect the Constitution is exactly what Coloradans need from a representative." 

"Veterans On Watch understands something that has guided my entire career: our Constitution only works when leaders have the courage to put their oath above politics and service above self. I spent 34 years in uniform defending this country, and I'm running for Congress for the same reason I served—to fight for the people of Colorado and protect the values that make our nation strong. I'm proud to have the support of fellow veterans who understand what's at stake and who know that public service is about responsibility, not personal ambition." said Eileen Laubacher.

Eileen Laubacher is a retired Rear Admiral, Naval Academy graduate, intelligence officer, and mother of five. She served her country for more than three decades. She’s running for Congress to defend the Constitution, protect veterans and working families, and ensure that rural Colorado’s land, economy, and way of life are respected—not run over—by Washington.

Titles, ranks, and military service are used for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense.