Hospitals across the state could be forced to cut back services or even close if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without an adequate replacement, several health care executives in Colorado warned on Wednesday.

A hospital in the San Luis Valley, for instance, may not be able to maintain a level of care that means patients currently don’t have to leave the valley for chemotherapy or to have surgery on broken bones, its CEO said. A hospital in Delta County — already with a profit margin only in the low single digits — could see its revenue dip dangerously close to the red, its CEO said.

Across Colorado, as many as eight hospitals “could have sustainability problems” if the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is repealed without a similar replacement, said Steven Summer, the president and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association.

“Our concern,” Summer said, “is it will create considerable disruption in the community and put at risk care throughout the state.”

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Michael Ciaglo