{"id":3471,"date":"2026-07-10T13:03:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:03:51","slug":"lawmakers-seek-solutions-for-colorados-medicaid-budget-red-tape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at\u00a0<\/em>cpr.org<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

DENVER<\/strong> | The future of Colorado\u2019s Medicaid program is getting an in-depth look and that could lead to reforms. That\u2019s the job of the\u00a0Colorado Commission on Medicaid, which met this week.<\/p>\n

Its arduous task? Come up with strategies to manage rising Medicaid costs and prepare for sweeping new federal policies.<\/p>\n

Von Limbaugh, from Aurora, is the father of 24-year-old Andrew who has intellectual and developmental disabilities. He\u2019d like to see lawmakers \u201ccut through some of the bureaucracy so that it\u2019s easy to navigate, easy to understand and predictable. And then making sure that they\u2019re protecting people.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like to see a system that\u2019s focused on the members, not the bureaucracy,\u201d he told lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that they will continue to hear real stories from real families. We\u2019re a diverse population,\u201d said Michelle Limbaugh, Andrew\u2019s mom.<\/p>\n

Families want to be heard<\/h2>\n

Another parent, who also has a child who is enrolled in Medicaid, said she was glad lawmakers formed the 10-member commission and hoped its efforts would be the start of a dialogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter two years of testifying, writing and attending meetings, the JBC (Joint Budget Committee) was starting to listen to the people of Colorado,\u201d said Kathy Fieber of Littleton, the mother of 26-year-old Ben, who has Down syndrome and autism. \u201cI am hoping what comes to light is the areas of wasteful spending, where staffing can be trimmed and accountability for the mismanagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency that manages Medicaid, the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing, has come under intense scrutiny, over the handling of its\u00a0surging budget\u00a0and controversies, like an\u00a0overbilling mistake\u00a0that cost Colorado tens of millions.<\/p>\n

Big bite out of budget<\/h2>\n

About 1.3 million Coloradans get health care that\u2019s covered by the state\u2019s Medicaid program, called Health First Colorado. It has a roughly $20 billion budget, a third of state spending. But its budget has grown sharply, by double digits annually for the last several years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legislature is trying to grapple with a budget for the state where we can\u2019t keep up with the needs of Coloradans and in particular Coloradans\u2019 health care needs and those growing costs,\u201d said Rep. Emily Sirota, a Democrat from Denver, who chairs the state\u2019s powerful Joint Budget Committee.<\/p>\n

She noted that the cost of health care is growing much faster than TABOR, the state law limiting revenues the state can keep and spend, allows.<\/p>\n

She says Colorado\u2019s social safety net is in distress.<\/p>\n

That could describe the state\u2019s budget as well, with a billion dollars in cuts this year just as major federal cuts, and new work requirements, start to unfold \u2014 part of H.R. 1, or the One Big Beautiful Bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have challenges coming from many different directions, but what we see is that those challenges are probably overlapping,\u201d Sirota said, in an interview before the meeting.<\/p>\n

Call for all parties<\/h2>\n

Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Republican who ran for governor and whose seat is in Weld and Larimer counties, said she\u2019d like to hear from both the public and major groups involved with Medicaid, like hospitals, family caregivers, county governments and the disability communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, in their opinion, had the cost grown so dramatically? And maybe there\u2019s more questions than that, but I think that would be helpful from the very beginning so that we can actually dig in early,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d rather hear what we\u2019re going to do to move forward from people who are involved in it, implementing it, boots on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other lawmakers on the panel said they\u2019d like staff to find out how other states are handling their own tough Medicaid budgets, which ones are doing things right and where Colorado is unique.<\/p>\n

Another advocate, Maureen Welch, the founder of Navigating Disabilities Colorado, sparked a back and forth when she told lawmakers she gets calls in her role as a consultant from families considering a move to Colorado. It has a reputation for being more generous with benefits than other states, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Colorado should look at that,\u201d said Welch from Littleton. who is the parent of a 19-year-old son with intellectual and developmental disabilities. \u201cWe need to serve the people that are already in Colorado and make sure that we protect those services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scope of the effort<\/h2>\n

As the discussion amongst the commission unfolded, they discussed what should be part of the scope of the effort. The work in front of the commission was described by one participant as \u201cbehemoth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re taking on just a gigantic amount of things,\u201d said the chair Sen. Judy Amabile, a Democrat from Boulder and another member of the JBC. If its members can agree on a few key changes \u201cthat would be a huge success. If we can come up with just even a handful of things that make this system work better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The commission plans to have a report with detailed recommendations ready in December. Those will go to the new governor and is expected to be a key issue for the candidate who wins office in the fall.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018The Pitt\u2019 leads with 25 Emmy nominations and \u2018Hacks\u2019 breaks record for comedies with 24<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more First-time candidate Victor Marx wins Colorado GOP nomination amid controversy over his past<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Read more Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at\u00a0cpr.org. DENVER | The future of Colorado\u2019s Medicaid program is getting an in-depth look and that could lead to reforms. That\u2019s the job of the\u00a0Colorado Commission on Medicaid, which met this week. Its arduous task? Come up with strategies to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[258],"tags":[5577,5578,5579,5580,1793,5581,5582],"class_list":["post-3471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colorado-news","tag-andrew-limbaugh","tag-colorados-medicaid-program","tag-health-first-colorado","tag-michelle-limbaugh","tag-rep-emily-sirota","tag-sen-barbara-kirkmeyer","tag-von-limbaugh"],"yoast_head":"\nLawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at\u00a0cpr.org. DENVER | The future of Colorado\u2019s Medicaid program is getting an in-depth look and that could lead to reforms. That\u2019s the job of the\u00a0Colorado Commission on Medicaid, which met this week. Its arduous task? Come up with strategies to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-10T13:03:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b\"},\"headline\":\"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-10T13:03:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471\"},\"wordCount\":933,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Andrew Limbaugh\",\"Colorado's Medicaid program\",\"Health First Colorado\",\"Michelle Limbaugh\",\"Rep. Emily Sirota\",\"Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer\",\"Von Limbaugh\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Colorado News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471\",\"name\":\"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape - Denver Moving Chronicle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-10T13:03:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":852},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?p=3471#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Denver Moving Chronicle\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/denvermovingchronicle.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape - Denver Moving Chronicle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape - Denver Moving Chronicle","og_description":"This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at\u00a0cpr.org. DENVER | The future of Colorado\u2019s Medicaid program is getting an in-depth look and that could lead to reforms. That\u2019s the job of the\u00a0Colorado Commission on Medicaid, which met this week. Its arduous task? Come up with strategies to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471","og_site_name":"Denver Moving Chronicle","article_published_time":"2026-07-10T13:03:51+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b"},"headline":"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape","datePublished":"2026-07-10T13:03:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471"},"wordCount":933,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg","keywords":["Andrew Limbaugh","Colorado's Medicaid program","Health First Colorado","Michelle Limbaugh","Rep. Emily Sirota","Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer","Von Limbaugh"],"articleSection":["Colorado News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471","url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471","name":"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape - Denver Moving Chronicle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-07-10T13:03:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/301ccf63a0334d18dbe28d12dcb4fa07.jpeg","width":1280,"height":852},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3471#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lawmakers seek solutions for Colorado\u2019s Medicaid budget, red tape"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/","name":"Denver Moving Chronicle","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/860d8c9be7e4969f72ed251197548d9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com"],"url":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}