By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado
Gov. Jared Polis released his budget request for next year, and Medicaid will take a big hit. The governor says the health insurance program for low-income Coloradans is growing at nearly twice the rate of the state government overall.
Polis says, if the state doesn’t slow the rate of growth, the program will crowd out everything but funding for schools in the next few years.
In the state, 1.2 million Coloradans rely on Medicaid. The governor says none of them will lose coverage, but what that coverage looks like will change.
“There’s two levers on Medicaid,” Polis said during a press conference. “One is how many people you cover, and two is what you cover.”
Polis’ budget request hones in on what services Medicaid covers.
“There have been a number of benefits that have been added in recent years,” Polis continued. “Some of those are not sustainable over time.”
Polis’ budget would require prior authorization for more services, more cost sharing and new payment caps.
“For instance, whereas dental benefits for adults was at $1,500 and then was uncapped, Polis said. “We are saying don’t go back to $1,500, but go back to a $3,000 annual cap.”
The governor says Medicaid is growing by nearly 9% each year, double the rate of spending on other parts of government. He says it’s unsustainable.
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