Medicaid

Therapists and other clinicians in Colorado found out this week that their rates for serving low income clients will drop significantly starting this fall.

The budget bill would cut trillions in taxes while chopping back historic levels of funding for safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP.

The cuts will enable the state to absorb the rising costs of Medicaid and fully fund K-12 for another year. But they didn’t eliminate the state’s structural deficit, which will require ongoing cuts for years to come.

Most of the cuts have barely made a dent in the state’s $1.2 billion budget gap. But every dollar saved is a dollar they won’t have to cut this week from the big expense — Medicaid providers, education and the state workforce. Listen to "Morning Edition" host Michael Lyle, Jr. discuss this story with Colorado Sun reporter Brian Eason and then read The Colorado Sun story at the link below.

Most of the cuts have barely made a dent in the state’s $1.2 billion budget gap. But every dollar saved is a dollar they won’t have to cut this week from the big programs — Medicaid providers, education and the state workforce.

How did state finances end up in such bad shape, and how far will lawmakers go to get back in balance?

Pregnant people on Medicaid now have coverage for doula services. Evidence shows that increased doula care improves maternal and infant health. On today’s In the NoCo hear why Medicaid recipients stand to gain the most from having access to doulas.

Colorado defended its high disenrollment rates following the covid crisis by saying that what goes up must come down. Advocates and researchers disagree.

Deloitte, a global consultancy that reported revenue last year of $65 billion, pulls in billions of dollars from states – including contracts with governments in Montana and Colorado – and the federal government for supplying technology it says will modernize Medicaid. However, a KFF Health News investigation of eligibility systems found widespread problems.

The number of Coloradans without health insurance hit an all-time low this year. The state uninsured rate dropped in 2023 to 4.6 percent. Reporter Michael Booth with The Colorado Sun joined KUNC host Nikole Robinson Carroll to discuss how some changes to federal policies are making the future of that figure unclear.