US EditionAs Congress flirts with Medicaid cuts and Colorado’s budget crisis worsens, Western Slope health care providers brace for impact
- In spring 2023, Congress ended automatic re-enrollment for Medicaid, impacting healthcare access across the country where 1 in 5 Americans use Medicaid.
- The end of automatic Medicaid renewal, coupled with rising Medicaid costs fueled by increased long-term care usage, has created a $1.2 billion budget hole for Colorado, leading state lawmakers to consider Medicaid spending cuts.
- As a result of these changes, a rural health center on Colorado's Western Slope, Mountain Family, which serves around 20,000 patients in Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties, had to lay off staff, freeze salary increases, and shutter two school-based clinics, absorbing a $1.5 million budget hit after approximately 2,000 patients were disenrolled from Medicaid.
- Mountain Family CEO Dustin Moyer stated that Medicaid is a vitally important coverage source for eligible patients, while Northwest Colorado Health CEO Stephanie Einfeld, whose organization is based in Routt and Moffat counties, said that the prospect of cuts basically means that our entire agency is at risk.
- With Colorado's uninsurance rate in northwest Colorado at 5.1% exceeding the state average of 4.6% in 2023, potential state and federal Medicaid cuts could further destabilize the healthcare system, particularly in rural communities where access to care is already a struggle and community clinics are more reliant on Medicaid, potentially leading to scaling back of staff and services.
17 Articles
17 Articles
therogersvillereview.com
Medicaid recipients struggle to find mental health care. Looming cuts could make it harder.
Charmeka Newton, a psychologist who has her own practice in Lansing, Michigan, is passionate about serving Black and Hispanic patients. They’re often looking for therapists who will understand how their race, ethnicity and culture may affect them, she said, and…
Denver Post
Lamar LedgerGov. Polis warns about Medicaid cuts by Congress, criticizes tariffs on Canada, presses for ICE transparency
Gov. Jared Polis warned Thursday of the impact of potential Medicaid cuts in Colorado, reiterated his support for federal immigration authorities’ efforts in the state and criticized President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Polis, joined by a Canadian diplomat, made the comments at a press conference he called to highlight Colorado’s “close partnership” with the United States’ northern neighbor amid an escalating trade war and Trump’s threats of annexi…
Aspen Times
As Congress flirts with Medicaid cuts and Colorado’s budget crisis worsens, Western Slope health care providers brace for impact
When Congress ended automatic re-enrollment for Medicaid in spring 2023, a rural health center on Colorado’s Western Slope had no choice but to lay off staff. Mountain Family, a federally-qualified health center based in Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties, also froze salary increases and shuttered two school-based clinics to absorb the roughly $1.5 million hit to its budget. Soon, clinics across Colorado’s High Country could face more of the…
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