Medicaid Cuts For Disabled Coloradans Advance Without Board Approval

By Brian Eason | The Colorado Sun

When it came time for any of the Colorado Medical Services Board members to make a motion, there was only dead silence. 

For two hours, the 11-member board that governs the state Medicaid program heard pleas from parents who provide round-the-clock care of their adult children with severe disabilities. And when the testimony was over, no one on the board would make a motion that would result in cuts to the parents’ monthly pay.

The request from Medicaid officials for an emergency rule change that means a 10% pay cut for families of Colorado’s most vulnerable people with disabilities effectively died when the board refused to bring it to a vote. 

But about a week later, Medicaid officials posted a memo directing case managers to move ahead with the rule change anyway.

 

The at-odds actions have left families confused — first thrilled when the board seemed to take their side, then devastated and angry when the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which includes Medicaid, signaled it was moving forward with the rate change.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE COLORADO SUN