By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics
Members of the Colorado legislature’s new Commission on Medicaid raised concerns Wednesday about the federal Rural Health Transformation Program created under H.R. 1.
The bipartisan, bicameral commission, created in the last legislative session to guide implementation of Medicaid changes under H.R. 1, met Wednesday to begin shaping its recommendations.
Cristen Bates, deputy Medicaid director at the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, told members that Colorado is slated to receive $200 million in federal funding each year for the next five years to support rural health care initiatives. CMS requires states to apply for the Rural Health Transformation Program by November, with awards expected by year’s end.
Of the $200 million, Bates said $160 million will go directly to providers in rural areas, with the rest allocated to training and technical assistance for the 19 new staff who will assist in operating the program and programs within the Department of Health and Environment.
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