By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project
Drawing down more Federal money as the solution to Colorado’s Medicaid problem?
Have you ever heard the saying, “the first step is admitting you have a problem”? Nash Herman’s piece on the Colorado Medicaid Commission (linked first below) made me think of that.
The reason being that, per what he writes about their first meeting, the commission seems to largely be focused on wringing more money out of the Feds than dealing with the bloat that Colorado lawmakers have heaped upon the program since 2014 and Obamacare.
Quoting from the piece with embedded links left intact:
“The most recent Commission meeting raised questions about the government’s priorities in addressing Medicaid and the state budget. A recurring theme of discussion —nothing new, yet one that actually exacerbates the very problem the Commission is attempting to address — is the idea that the health care funding deficit could be solved by Colorado improving its ability to draw down federal dollars. However, as previously explained, the system of drawing down more federal matching money for health care creates a self-perpetuating loop of increasing costs in pursuit of increased federal funding. If the Commission’s focus is on increasing federal funding, it suggests that the exorbitant cost increases will continue.”
Spot on.
Herman says it better than I can, so I’ll let him say it:
“Like a drug addict, Colorado would face withdrawals if forced to face fiscal reality, likely in the form of reduced benefits or higher barriers to entry for enrollees. However, doing so is crucial to ensure sustainable spending for future generations.”
Leaning on the Federal government as the solution to the problem is, at best a temporary fix; it’s the family that’s unable to manage its money saying “well, if my sister Karen and her husband can see their way through to giving us $2000, I think we can make it til the kids start school.”
Then school comes and the cycle begins anew.
Sooner or later, our state needs to fix the problems that are festering right at the core of this issue–our state’s role in making Medicaid unsustainable.
And the stakes are high. Frequently when I write about Medicaid, I get a lot of reaction on social media from parents of children with disabilities (justifiably) upset over cuts to care for their children.
If the people running this state cannot get themselves and this problem under control, from the inside out, then those folks, the truly deserving of care, will face hardships.
It’s time to look those that don’t or only partially need Medicaid in the face and tell them that we’re sorry, but they need to care for themselves so the truly needy can have care.
It’s time to give the Department of Health Care Financing and Policy a good hard look. Not the kind where you wag your finger and tell them to “do better next time”. The kind where a tangible, actual change happens: people lose jobs, structures are changed, measurable results are set and held to.
And this all begins with admitting that Colorado, not the amount the Feds give, is the real problem.
https://completecolorado.com/2026/07/14/commission-colorado-runaway-medicaid-spending/
READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE COLORADO ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.