Colorado Budget Panel Halts Proposed Medicaid Pay Reductions for Family Caregivers

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics

The Colorado General Assembly’s budget decision-makers have put proposed pay cuts on hold for people who care for a family member with a disability who receives Medicaid.

The Joint Budget Committee made the decision after hours of testimony from family caregivers and several advocates.

The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has been struggling to manage a substantial spike in Medicaid spending, which accounts for about one-third of the state’s budget, even as Colorado faces a $1 billion budget deficit.

Members of the JBC earlier

expressed concerns with Gov. Jared Polis’ proposal last November on how to plug that deficit, which included a plan to fund Medicaid below its projected growth.

“This isn’t a trim,” said JBC member Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton. “It’s a blow to families who are already fighting to get care. These numbers represent real people.”

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