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More Than 40,000 Coloradans Impacted As Cigna Leaves Individual Market
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

More Than 40,000 Coloradans Impacted As Cigna Leaves Individual Market

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Another firm is withdrawing from the individual health insurance market, including for Colorado, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The move by Cigna Healthcare is part of the company’s overall plan to withdraw entirely from the Affordable Care Act market. It will impact individual health plans for 369,000 members in 11 states, according to a company announcement on April 30. In Colorado, Cigna provides individual health insurance to 40,853 members, according to the the state’s insurance office. Cigna joins five other insurers that have pulled out of Colorado since 2022. That doesn’t include two insurers that announced they were withdrawing from the individual market last year but rescinded that announcement two months later. ...
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Aurora ICE Facility Operator Says Colorado Overstepped Authority With New ICE Inspection Law
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Aurora ICE Facility Operator Says Colorado Overstepped Authority With New ICE Inspection Law

By: Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The private prison company that operates the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Aurora has filed a lawsuit against Colorado to stop the enforcement of a new law requiring additional health and safety inspections of immigration detention facilities. The lawsuit from Geo Group, filed Monday in Denver District Court, lists Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser as the plaintiff, along with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment executive director Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the department’s environmental health and sustainability director Jeff Lawrence, and Adams County Health Department executive director Kelly Weidenbach. Earlier this year, the Adams County Health Department conducted an on-site investigatio...
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Lawmakers Put Reliability And Energy Costs Ahead Of New Climate Mandates In 2026
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The Sum & Substance, Approved, Commentary, State

Lawmakers Put Reliability And Energy Costs Ahead Of New Climate Mandates In 2026

By: Ed Sealover | Commentary, The Sum & Substance This legislative session was supposed to be a defining one for the utility and energy sectors — one in which legislators would debate and pass a long-discussed plan to move up the net-zero emissions deadline by 10 years and also remake the Public Utilities Commission. But the story of the 2026 session for energy advocates instead turned out to be all about what didn’t happen. No 2040 net-zero plan got introduced. No radical changes came through the extension of the PUC. And for the first time in over a decade, no existential threats to the oil and gas sector received debate in the 75th General Assembly. The topics that took center stage instead were reliability and affordability of energy sources. Legislators h...
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Federal Judge Blocks Colorado From Enforcing Counseling Ban Against Springs Therapist
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Federal Judge Blocks Colorado From Enforcing Counseling Ban Against Springs Therapist

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics A federal judge last week blocked Colorado from enforcing its restriction on conversion therapy for LGBTQ children against a Colorado Springs counselor, after both sides agreed that the state will not pursue professional disciplinary action while the case proceeds. The formalization of a preliminary injunction came days after one appellate judge argued that the Denver-based federal appeals court should decide the issue without delay, likely in plaintiff Kaley Chiles’ favor. In 2019, Colorado prohibited certain state-licensed professionals from attempting to change a minor patient’s gender identity, sexual orientation or to otherwise eliminate feelings of same-sex attraction. Chiles alleged the law violated her First Amendment right...
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Polis Adds Big Game Hunters and Agricultural Leaders to Colorado Wildlife Commission
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Sky-Hi News, Approved, State

Polis Adds Big Game Hunters and Agricultural Leaders to Colorado Wildlife Commission

By Ali Longwell | Sky-Hi News After Colorado Senators raised concerns with Gov. Jared Polis’ previous nominations for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, the governor has named three new appointees to the volunteer board tasked with guiding the state agency’s policies and regulations.  Polis announced the three appointments — in addition to reappointments for current commissioners, Gabriel Otero and Richard Reading — on Wednesday, June 3.  This included Dr. Peter Maguire, a veterinary neurologist in Grand Junction; Rebecca Niemiec, a tenured associate professor at Colorado State University’s Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources in Fort Collins; and Johnny Le Coq, who owns and lives on a ranch north of Silverthorne.  One of t...
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Colorado Prison Visitation Suspended After Two Inmates Die At Bent County Facility
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DENVER7, Approved, State

Colorado Prison Visitation Suspended After Two Inmates Die At Bent County Facility

By: Robert Garrison | Denver7 DENVER — The Colorado Department of Corrections announced Sunday an immediate suspension of prison visitation at all locations following a Friday night incident at one of its facilities that left two inmates dead. The CDOC said two inmates died and a third was hospitalized at the Bent County Correctional Facility. No staff was hurt, and officials say there is no threat to nearby communities. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT DENVER7
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Colorado Probes Claims of Cash Incentives Linked to Medicaid Services for Homeless Residents
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Colorado Probes Claims of Cash Incentives Linked to Medicaid Services for Homeless Residents

By: David Migoya | Colorado Politics Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how home health in Colorado is a complex setupand about the group On Going HHC. They call it “the program.” For the past four years, dozens of homeless people in the Denver metro area have been recruited to live rent-free in suburban houses sprinkled across Aurora — not the stereotypical homeless shelter-type housing one might think, but rather neat homes in middle-class communities with mortgages. But living there comes with a hitch: a requirement that participants be on Medicaid and have at least one prescribed medication — all must first visit the same doctor to get a cursory exam and a prescription — administered by a home health company for which the doctor ...
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Polis Activates Emergency Drought Measures As Reservoirs Feel Growing Strain
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Activates Emergency Drought Measures As Reservoirs Feel Growing Strain

By Luige Del Puerto and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday declared a statewide drought emergency, citing the record-low snowpack and prolonged warmer temperatures across Colorado. He also activated the next phase of the state’s drought response plan. Polis had placed Colorado under Phase 2 in March. “Today, I am issuing a statewide drought emergency to support Coloradans, our economy, farmers and ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the face of one of the most severe droughts in Colorado’s recorded history. With every county in the state experiencing drought conditions, activating Phase 3 of our Drought Response Plan allows us to better coordinate agencies, prepare for worsening conditions, and support Colorado communities, agriculture...
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Colorado Voters Prepare for Sweeping Legislative Changes in 2026 Elections
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Voters Prepare for Sweeping Legislative Changes in 2026 Elections

By: Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics This year’s general election will feature an unusually high number of state Senate races — 21 seats, the most in at least three decades. The surge stems from the number of new senators appointed to fill vacancies during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions, which triggered additional seats to go before voters. That group of 21 includes six senators who are term-limited, running for other offices, or simply choosing not to return. Fifteen House members, meanwhile, will not return next term — they are either term‑limited, running for another office, or choosing not to seek reelection. Here’s a look at the lawmakers who are wrapping up their service in the General Assembly. Open Senate seats The 2026 elec...
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Justice Department Targets Colorado Law Expanding U Visa Certifications
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Justice Department Targets Colorado Law Expanding U Visa Certifications

By: Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to challenge Colorado’s U-Visa law, arguing it conflicts with federal immigration rules by broadening who qualifies for law enforcement certifications used in visa applications. HB21-1060 was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in 2021. The law was designed to create uniformity and fairness for immigrant crime survivors. “Colorado victims have been subjected to inconsistent policies across the state, unfairly preventing them from applying for a U-Visa,” Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network said in a statement upon the measure passing both chambers. Eric Maruyama, a Polis spokesperson, could not be reached for comment before this story published. Congress ...
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