medicaid
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Children’s Colorado must resume care to transgender plaintiffs, state Supreme Court rules by 5-2
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The Colorado Supreme Court, by a 5-2 vote, ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado on Monday to resume providing certain medical services to a group of transgender plaintiffs, which it had ceased in the face of funding threats from the federal government last year. The unusual appeal before the Supreme Court stemmed from a trial judge’s rejection…
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White House withdraws hospitality executive as National Park Service nominee | OUT WEST ROUNDUP
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MONTANA National parks nominee withdrawn BILLINGS — President Donald Trump is withdrawing his nomination of a hospitality company executive to lead the National Park Service, the White House announced on April 27. The withdrawal of nominee Scott Socha comes as the park service has been shaken by widespread firings as part of the Trump administration’s…
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Hickenlooper hears stories on Medicaid, health costs at Denver Health
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U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper went to Denver Health on Tuesday to hear how rising health care costs and federal policy changes are affecting patients. He got an earful. Hospital staff shared stories about Medicaid patients who lost eligibility — and then a limb or their life. Dr. Stephanie Augustine, a family medicine physician, told of…
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Aurora mental health nonprofit cuts 100-plus jobs after Colorado agency reduces reimbursement rate
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A nonprofit that provides services through 11 mental health centers in Aurora announced Thursday that it is eliminating 111 jobs effective June 30, the result of federal and state budget reductions. Aurora Mental Health & Recovery said the positions being eliminated are mostly administrative and support service jobs. That includes 91 jobs currently held by…
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Colorado Supreme Court weighs transgender services case involving Children’s Hospital and federal threats
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Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court expressed discomfort on April 14 with having to decide whether to order Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume providing certain services to transgender children, which could trigger a “death sentence” if the federal government imposes consequences. “I’m assuming there’s no middle ground here with the federal administration, in terms…
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Colorado Senate takes up $46.8 billion budget
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The battle over Colorado’s proposed $46.8 billion spending plan for next year shifted to the state Senate, which must decide whether to acquiesce to changes made by the House. The senators could also decide to adopt their own changes, which would force the two bodies to reconcile their differences. The state constitution requires a balanced…
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Colorado House opens debate on $46.8B budget already showing strain
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With rising Medicaid costs, no dollars set aside for new legislation and dozens of bills still seeking funding, Colorado lawmakers on Wednesday began debating the proposed $46.8 billion budget that is already proving difficult to keep on track. By the time the main budget measure and its 64 accompanying “orbital” bills — which rely on…
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Gov. Polis names new leaders for Colorado health agencies in wake of Medicaid turmoil
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Gov. Jared Polis, on Thursday, announced he was appointing Gretchen Hammer to serve as acting executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and deputy executive director Stephanie Beasley to become the next commissioner of the Behavioral Health Administration. Hammer’s nomination will have to be confirmed by the state Senate. As…
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Colorado legislators drove up cost of Medicaid program
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Some of Colorado’s spending woes in Medicaid can be traced to lawmakers who had approved new or expanded programs in the last few years, driving up state costs to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Just three measures passed in the past five years, for example, would cost the state more than $80…
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Unsustainable: How Colorado’s Medicaid spending exploded
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The state’s Medicaid program — which covers about one in four Coloradans — is poised for its largest single-year jump in at least two decades, with officials proposing a $2.3 billion increase, even as lawmakers face a $1.5 billion budget shortfall. The data shows Medicaid enrollment has grown steadily, while spending has increased far more…