One-third of Gov. Jared Polis' budget cuts involve Medicaid

Almost one-third of the budget cuts and sweeps of unused money that Gov. Jared Polis used to close a $249 million budget hole will come from Medicaid, and providers are trying to figure out how much disruption that will cause for them and their patients.

H.R. 1, known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” blew a roughly $783 million hole in the state budget in July, because Colorado’s tax laws automatically adjust to stay in harmony with the federal government’s. The legislature opted to undo some of those changes during a special session in August and gave Polis the authority to fill the rest of the gap .

About $79.2 million of the $252 million in cuts came from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing , which runs Medicaid in the state. The list includes a mix of reduct