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Colorado’s main suer runs on Trump
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s main suer runs on Trump

By Tom Anthony | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice According to Tucker Carlson interviewee Joe Kent, erstwhile Director of Counterterrorism, it was Netanyahu that induced the US to attack Iran. Of course Trump is taking the blame and that goes with being President, as executive decisions have their consequences. High gas prices aren't popular with too many people (we're excepting the ones who own oil wells) and so being anti-Trump has gotten somewhat easier on both sides of the aisle. My dad was a doctor and started out a Republican (although, as a Catholic, he did support Kennedy and, we'll have to include, partnered with Roy Romer in a ski resort venture). After me hearing years of ranting about "socialized medicine" he capitulated to the Democrats later in life to the poi...
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Colorado Medicaid Chief Resigns Amid Bipartisan Outcry Over Costs And Mismanagement
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Medicaid Chief Resigns Amid Bipartisan Outcry Over Costs And Mismanagement

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado’s top Medicaid official stepped down on Monday, just as a bipartisan bloc of state senators prepared to formally urge Gov. Jared Polis to remove her over what they called years of mismanagement, waste and costly errors inside the state’s largest agency. One legislator seeking the resignation of Kim Bimestefer, executive direct or of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, called the leadership change a “necessary step toward accountability.” Bimestefer had been under fire from critics, who questioned how health officials have remained in their roles amid what they described as mismanagement at the state Medicaid program, which is beset by allegations of fraud, abuse and runaway spending. The program’...
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Lawmakers Face Tough Choices As Medicaid Spending Explodes Crushing State Budget
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Lawmakers Face Tough Choices As Medicaid Spending Explodes Crushing State Budget

By Nico Brambila | Colorado Politics 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 rapidly — more than fivefold since 2007. As lawmakers begin work this week on next year’s budget, they will have to grapple with Medicaid spending, which has overtaken K-12 education as the largest line item in the state budget. “What’s even more alarming, over the past five years, Medicaid expenses have averaged 19%,” said state Rep. Rick Taggart, a Grand Junction Republican. “This ...
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ACA Subsidy Expiration Triggers Major Premium Hikes for Millions
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Scripps News, Approved, National

ACA Subsidy Expiration Triggers Major Premium Hikes for Millions

By Haley Bull | Scripps News Enhanced subsidies created during pandemic will end after Congress fails to extend them, with experts predicting 114% average premium increases. Millions of Americans will face higher healthcare costs starting January 1, 2026, as enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire after Congress failed to extend them. The subsidies, which were enhanced during the pandemic and later extended, will end after lawmakers could not reach a consensus on an extension or new healthcare policy. Experts predict premium increases for many Americans who purchase insurance through the ACA marketplace. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates annual out-of-pocket premium payments for subsidized enrollees will increase by an average of 114%, though the exact ...
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Colorado chose Medicaid expansion and now the bill is past due
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado chose Medicaid expansion and now the bill is past due

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Our state is Medicaid (and government) poor Do you have a friend or relative that’s house poor? Truck poor? They live in (or own) something that’s beyond their means, and this financial decision makes their lives more difficult than it has to be? I read the Sun article linked first below recently and it struck me that our state is Medicaid poor. As a result of our state’s poor financial decisions, we have some fancy stuff, but we’re financially struggling right now. The thrust of the Sun’s piece is that our state’s budget gaps (the unhappy kind where we are short of money) are recurring and likely to continue to recur. Why? Medicaid’s a big reason, but there’s more to that picture. A couple of non-contiguous q...
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Trump administration probes spending of Medicaid dollars on illegal immigrants in blue states
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ASSOCIATED PRESS, Approved, National

Trump administration probes spending of Medicaid dollars on illegal immigrants in blue states

By AP News SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is scouring payments covering health care for immigrants without legal status to ensure there isn’t any waste, fraud or abuse, according to public records obtained by KFF Health News and The Associated Press. While acknowledging that states can bill the federal government for Medicaid emergency and pregnancy care for immigrants without legal status, federal officials have sent letters notifying state health agencies...
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Proposed insurance fee hikes spark fears of worsening affordability crisis
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The Sum & Substance, Approved, State

Proposed insurance fee hikes spark fears of worsening affordability crisis

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance In an effort to try and stop a massive exodus of individuals from the private insurance market, Colorado legislators are looking again at raising fees on all health-insurance policies in order to subsidize the premiums of state residents who face the highest costs. Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, said Friday that he is considering bringing a bill during the upcoming special session that would allow the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise to raise fees on all plans sold in the state by as much as 0.75%. The bill also would seek to impose a new $3 per-member-per-month fee on all stop-loss insurance policies that are purchased by self-insured employers to guard against catastrophic claims. The two fees could together raise about $100 mil...
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Colorado braces for $858M healthcare shift as feds pull back Medicaid, SNAP funding, prompting special session
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado braces for $858M healthcare shift as feds pull back Medicaid, SNAP funding, prompting special session

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Colorado legislators met at the state Capitol on Friday morning to review how the recently-adopted federal budget will affect health issues in the state. The review is among the steps lawmakers are taking in preparation for an expected special session. Multiple sources have told Colorado Politics that the special session will take place during the week of Aug. 18. Friday's meeting wasn't publicly announced on the legislature's website; the General Assembly had earlier cut funding for many interim committees due to budget constraints.  Senate Democrats announced on their website an "informal meeting" of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which drew a dozen lawmakers and dozens of lobbyists, journalists and others to the ...
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Joondeph: Make prescription drugs affordable again
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American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

Joondeph: Make prescription drugs affordable again

By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker Last week, President Donald Trump grabbed his Sharpie and signed an executive order to tackle the sky-high prescription drug prices in the U.S. The plan? A “Most Favored Nation” (MFN) pricing model that aligns U.S. drug costs with those of other countries.  Sound familiar? Trump tried this during his first term, but the courts rejected it, and Biden hit the 'undo' button. Here’s the lowdown on why Trump is back at it, what’s at stake, and whether this bold move will stick. Trump has promised cheaper drugs since his campaign days, alongside crowd-pleasers like building the wall and draining the swamp. Americans are fed up, paying nearly three times more for medications than people in other wealthy c...
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