GOP megabill may force Colorado lawmakers into special session
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Colorado lawmakers spent seven months painstakingly combing the state budget to trim millions in spending to balance the $44 billion spending bill.
The intrigue: Now, they must do it again — and this time they will need to cut billions more in short order.
Driving the news: President Trump's signature on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is expected to force state lawmakers to return to the Capitol and effectively rewrite the budget because of the deep Medicaid and tax cuts in the federal reconciliation legislation.
- Some of the Medicaid provisions don't take effect until 2026, but lawmakers are eager to take action before returning to the state Capitol on Jan. 14.
What they're saying: "This bill will almost certainly force us into a special session to make deep cuts to Colorado's already tight budget," state Sen. Jeff Bridges, the top budget writer, said in a statement.
By the numbers: The governor's budget office estimates the Republican-led bill will lead to as much as $500 million in lost revenue for Colorado and cost about $500 million more to implement.
- "The bill is anticipated to result in the large-scale loss of health insurance coverage for Coloradans and an extraordinary cost shift to our state that Colorado's state budget cannot absorb," said Kim Bimestefer, executive director of the state's health care agency, which oversees Medicaid.
Inside the room: The full picture is still coming into focus, but Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic state lawmakers are already discussing how to absorb the hit, particularly the eligibility and financial limits on the state's Medicaid program, which serves 1.1 million adults and children.
The choices on the table are not easy.
- With less money, lawmakers may need to decide who gets coverage and who gets kicked off the rolls.
Others see this as an opportunity to re-examine all health care programs.
- Adam Fox, the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative's deputy director, said lawmakers must "rethink how we do health care."
The bottom line: Before a special session is called, the state's Democratic leaders need to land on an answer.