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Minnesota’s Medicaid Scandal Shows Why Colorado Must Tighten the Guardrails
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Minnesota’s Medicaid Scandal Shows Why Colorado Must Tighten the Guardrails

By Cory Gaines | Complete Colorado To say Minnesota has had some fraud going on is an understatement. I don’t know that I’ve seen it mentioned much in local media, but it’s a big national story. Colorado should beware taking its turn in this barrel. First, some brief background. Minnesota sought (and received) Medicaid waivers during COVID to use taxpayer dollars to fund things like subsidized housing for recipients, which ended up an impetus for massive fraud. An MPR News article gives some context, but the sheer size of the numbers are what really popped out to me: “According to the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office, DHS [Minnesota Department of Housing Stabilization] had initially predicted the housing stabilization program would cost about $2.6 mill...
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Advocates Urge State Leaders To Protect Vulnerable Residents From Budget Reductions
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Advocates Urge State Leaders To Protect Vulnerable Residents From Budget Reductions

By: Colette Bordelon | Denver7 For the second year in a row, Colorado is staring down a daunting budget deficit — and the governor believes cuts to Medicaid are one solution to balancing the budget. DENVER — With a budget deficit looming over the State of Colorado next year, one program in particular is under the microscope: Medicaid. A special session tackled some of the anticipated $1.2 billion budget shortfall, which was created in part by tax changes made in President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Act (H.R.1). As a result, Colorado will collect less revenue than expected when lawmakers approved the state budget in May. Some of that $1.2 billion revenue loss was absorbed by the state education fund and the affordable housing fund. Around $300 million that...
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Polis Budget Plan Sparks Bipartisan Pushback Over Medicaid Costs and Pinnacol Gamble
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Polis Budget Plan Sparks Bipartisan Pushback Over Medicaid Costs and Pinnacol Gamble

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Gov. Jared Polis’ proposed state budget for 2026-27 drew sharp criticism Wednesday from the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, as lawmakers from both parties criticized plans to slow Medicaid spending growth and to rely on a deal to privatize Pinnacol Assurance. This quasi-state agency is the state’s largest provider of workers’ compensation insurance. Polis has already cut $79 million in the 2025-26 budget, primarily for rates paid to Medicaid providers in dental, behavioral health and services to children with disabilities. The governor’s 2026-27 budget proposes an additional $197.7 million in general fund dollars, or about 5.6%, in the Medicaid program. But the projected growth is at 11.9%, or $631.4 million. He has also brought in...
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White House Unveils Website Exposing Criminal Illegal Aliens on Medicaid
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Breitbart, Approved, National

White House Unveils Website Exposing Criminal Illegal Aliens on Medicaid

By: Nick Robertson | Breitbart The White House will launch a website on Monday night exposing criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and burglars, who have received taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits, Breitbart News has learned. The website features mugshots and photos of dozens of illegal aliens convicted of brutal crimes, undercutting Democrat claims that illegal aliens have not received healthcare benefits. The top of the page chronicles the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal aliens convicted of crimes who have received Medicaid benefits, as well as Democrats’ efforts to restore Medicaid benefits to illegal aliens and noncitizens: The Trump administration has intensified enforcement against criminal illegal aliens receivin...
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Colorado Among States That Handed Out $1.4B in Medicaid Funds to Illegals
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The Federalist, Approved, National

Colorado Among States That Handed Out $1.4B in Medicaid Funds to Illegals

By: Breccan F. Thies | The Federalist Five states and Washington, D.C., funneled more than $1.35 billion in federal taxpayer Medicaid funding to illegals, according to a preliminary audit of the program completed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS Administrator Dr. Mehemet Oz posted the results of the preliminary audit on social media showing California, D.C., Illinois, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon spent millions each on illegals, with California spending the bulk, topping over $1.3 billion alone. That money, according to Oz, was spent “just in the last few months.” The left constantly claims this does not, or even cannot, happen because it is against federal law to use programs like Medicaid — something meant for Americans — fo...
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Hospitals on life support: Report says 70% of Colorado facilities losing money
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Hospitals on life support: Report says 70% of Colorado facilities losing money

By Marissa Ventrelli | The Denver Gazette Nearly 70% of Colorado hospitals ended 2024 with “unsustainable” margins, according to a new financial report from the Colorado Hospital Association. Tom Rennell, the group’s senior vice president of financial policy and data analytics, said hospitals’ expenses are outpacing their revenue, as an increasing number of Colorado patients are losing their insurance coverage, partially due to the post-pandemic Medicaid unwind. “Over the last several years since the COVID times and through the high inflationary times, hospitals have been experiencing some significant econmic turbulence,” Rennell said. “We don’t have the full picture yet, but I can tell you that what we’re seeing so far in 2025 is that there has been even more of a deterioration a...
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GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Clash Over Medicaid Cuts and Budget Deficit
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

GOP Gubernatorial Candidates Clash Over Medicaid Cuts and Budget Deficit

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Nine Republican candidates for next year’s gubernatorial election participated in a debate Thursday night hosted by the Denver Press Club, where they faced questions on issues like the budget, cost of living, and Medicaid from moderators Marianne Goodland and Ernest Luning of Colorado Politics. Those candidates were: Sen. Mark Baisley of Roxborough Park, an engineer who was elected to the State Legislature in 2018 Bob Brinkerhoff, a retired State Trooper Jason Clark, an Army veteran from Centennial on his third run for governor Jon Gray-Ginsberg, an IT professional and cybersecurity specialist from Frisco Joshua Griffin, a former Colorado State University football player and Army veteran Kelvin “K-Man” Wimberly, an Oklahoma ...
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Report: ABC Inflates Medicaid “Crisis” to Support Democrat Spending Push
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The Daily Signal, Approved, Commentary, National

Report: ABC Inflates Medicaid “Crisis” to Support Democrat Spending Push

By Jay Greene | Commentary, The Daily Signal The federal government is shut down, at least in part, because Democrats are attempting to reverse Medicaid spending cuts that were enacted earlier this year as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. Democrats are refusing to support a continuing resolution that would keep funding the government unless it restores those cuts.  ABC News is determined to help the Democrats make their case for reversing Medicaid cuts even at the expense of whatever journalistic credibility they have remaining. To wit, “Good Morning America” aired a story by senior White House correspondent, Selina Wang, about “looming Medicaid cuts threatening ...
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GOP Warns Democrats’ Budget Plan Redirects Billions to Noncitizens
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Just The News, Approved, National

GOP Warns Democrats’ Budget Plan Redirects Billions to Noncitizens

By Amanda Head | Just the News The Democrats' own proposal seeks to repeal the section of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that ends healthcare for aliens. At midnight Tuesday, the government shut down. Prior to the deadline, Republicans passed their budget proposal out of the House of Representatives, but Senate Democrats, along with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, shot it down, 55-45.  While Republicans have branded this the "Schumer Shutdown," blame-slinging began months ago when negotiations commenced to avert the budget showdown.  The clarity of Democrats' desire to give illegal immigrants free healthcare is abundant, as evidenced by every single Democratic nominee eagerly raising their hand in support of the policy at the June 2019 ...
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Summer school session: Lawmakers flunk budget basics—less tax revenue and more deficits to come
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denvergazette.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Summer school session: Lawmakers flunk budget basics—less tax revenue and more deficits to come

By Gazette editorial board | Commentary, Denver Gazette Like slacker students who flunked a course and had to make it up in summer school, Colorado state lawmakers who were summoned back to the Capitol last month — to patch a gaping hole in the current state budget — knew they had gathered under a stigma. Convened by Gov. Jared Polis, they sullenly filed into the building with their heads down. It was nothing to be proud of. And when they had wrapped up the session days later, there was little to celebrate. They knew they were doing makeup work, atoning for their behavior during the regular session — and the session before that, and the one before that. And while they tried to blame Colorado’s fiscal straits on some of the other kids in class — the president and the Republican Con...
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