Healthcare groups urge leaders to protect Medicaid funding amid budget cuts
by: Gabrielle Franklin, FOX 31 News Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado’s budget is facing a billion-dollar deficit this year.
The governor has proposed cuts in some areas for members of the state’s Joint Budget Committee to consider. One group that could be impacted urged lawmakers to find another way. Nearly 50 healthcare groups that do not always see eye to eye are all asking state leaders not to issue any cuts to Medicaid.
“It’s not a group that always agrees on all the health policy solutions. In fact, sometimes we very respectfully disagree on what the solution is. When it comes to Medicaid folks and the lowest income folks in Colorado, I think this coalition is very clear in knowing that we cannot balance our budget off the back of the poor and the vulnerable,” said Ross Brooks, Colorado Community Health Network CEO.
A large coalition of healthcare groups advocated for some increases to Medicaid and related programs in Colorado amid talks of budget cuts. Governor Jared Polis talked about freezing Medicaid rates for providers. While that’s not a cut, healthcare leaders said a freeze is undesirable.
“Rate freezes are one thing. Medicaid rate cuts would be really disastrous for any Medicaid providers that all deserve to be reimbursed fairly for the care that they provide in the community. So our formal stance is: please don’t cut Medicaid. We want to make sure that resource is there for the most vulnerable in our state,” Brooks said.
The coalition said Medicaid is already at a crisis point in Colorado. Medicaid grew during the pandemic but over the last year and a half, states have had to reevaluate the enrollment eligibility. That process led to 575,000 Coloradans losing their Medicaid coverage. They hope leaders allocate more funding to the Primary Care Fund. It’s slated for no new money right now.
“Right now the program has about $13 million of state money in it and that is matched by $13 million of federal money,” Ross said of the fund. “We think we need to at least double that if not go higher than that to try to offset some of the losses for the uninsured at safety net clinics, at critical asset hospitals, at community health centers around the state.”
The Governor’s Office and the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing said in a statement:
“The governor will continue to prioritize increasing provider rates to the extent possible given a limited state budget, as it has historically. Ultimately the JBC is going to need to make difficult choices and potentially deeper cuts to other areas of the budget like public safety and education if they choose to increase rates for Medicaid/safety net healthcare providers.”- Colorado Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing
The department is set to be briefed by the JBC this week. With a new administration taking over in Washington, healthcare groups said it is critically important for the state to have strong funding at the state level.