The Colorado Senate's Legislative Day 038 was dominated by a contentious third-reading debate over HB 1155 — the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing supplemental appropriation — which passed 20-13 after sharp exchanges over a $103 million Medicaid provider rate cut, explosive cost growth in the Covering All Coloradans program, and allegations of department mismanagement and fraud. The chamber also passed SJR012 unanimously designating February 20, 2026 as Colorado FFA Day and advanced more than twenty routine supplemental appropriation bills.
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Senator Frizell argued the Covering All Coloradans program grew from an original fiscal note of $4 million to over $53 million and that the supplemental adds $21 million more while simultaneously cutting Medicaid provider rates by $103 million, questioning whether providers would continue accepting lower rates. Senator Bridges countered that the fiscal note 'dramatically underestimated the number of people who would be signing up' and was 'entirely and completely and unbelievably wrong,' attributing the gap to enrollment levels rather than program design. Senator Kirkmeyer countered that counties knew before the program started that costs would exceed the stated $2 million general fund obligation and stated 'I'm not willing to give them a pass on that one either.'
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“The other thing that this supplemental does is it cuts Medicaid by 103 million and that's basically reducing the Medicaid provider rate. I don't know. Do we really expect that our Medicaid providers are going to just keep accepting less and less for their services?”
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Sign in to subscribeBall. Ball. Excuse. Bridges. Bright. Carson. Catlin. Cutter. Daniel. Doherty. Doherty. Excuse. Exum. Frizzell. Gonzalez. Henriksen. Judah. Kip. Kirkmeyer. Kolker. Kolker. Linstead. Liston. Marchman. Marchman. Marchman. Marchman. Marchman. Mullica. Pelton, B. Pelton, R. Rich. Roberts. Rodriguez. Simpson. Snyder. Sullivan. Wallace. Weissman. Zamora. Wilson. Senate District 21 vacant. Mr. President. Let's do this. The morning roll call is. Senator Ball. Senator Ball. Senator Ball will be fined 10 cents for making me have to do this all over again. We have a quorum. 33 present. 0 absent, 1 excused. 1 vacant. We have a quorum. Senator Danielson, please lead us in the Pledge of. Pledge of. Pledge of. She's right there. Pledge of allegiance. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, liberty and justice for all. Approval of the Journal. Our favorite senator, Senator Liston. Okay. Thank you, Mr. President. Members, listen up. This is the last one. Writing these limericks is such a chore. Senators don't appreciate them. They think they're a bore. If you think they're…
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