State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer (R-Weld County) is touting herself to fellow conservatives as Colorado’s bulwark against attacks on Medicaid by Democrats, taking credit recently for adding funds for Colorado’s Medicaid program above what Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) proposed.
Yet, Medicaid is the part of the federal budget that Kirkmeyer believes should be ground zero for budget cuts at the federal level.
Asked by right-winger Jon Caldara two years ago what the federal government should spend less on, Kirkmeyer replied, “I think we need to look at the entitlement programs and get a handle on them. … I think we need to look at the whole Medicaid situation.”
She went on to say that “what we need to do with Medicaid” is transform it into a “block grant, same as what we did with temporary aid for needy families, the Welfare reform stuff, and even with our child welfare, and looking at our child care programs as well.”
Converting Medicaid to a block-grant program is a longstanding goal of conservatives and has been denounced by Medicaid proponents as a way to cut the program.
“The cuts being discussed in Congress right now, whether it’s block grants, per capita caps, work requirements that just add administrative cost and unnecessary red tape, or eliminating or changing fees on hospitals that help the state fund coverage for more than 400,000 Coloradans, would all be devastating, said Adam Fox, Deputy Director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, when informed of Kirkmeyer’s comments.
“Block grants are just code for cuts,” Fox has said, forcing reductions to eligibility and benefits.
But in an apparent about-face, Kirkmeyer is now calling Medicaid one of “my priorities.”
“All I’ve heard is how Trump’s going to cut Medicaid,” Kirkmeyer told KHOW’s Dan Caplis on Tuesday. “And I thought, what are you talking about? The governor wants to cut that. And I had to fight to get it back.”
In a KNUS radio interview, she praised Medicaid as “our health care safety net for those that are the most vulnerable, the least fortunate among them.”
She went on to say that it was “totally ironic” and “beyond me” for Polis to propose cuts to the health care program for the poor, given his concern about cuts by Trump.
How does Kirkmeyer square her support for Medicaid reductions, via block grants, with her statements that the program should not be cut?
Kirkmeyer didn’t respond to an email asking that question — or whether she favors any type of Medicaid budget cut at the federal level. Trump has said he doesn’t want to cut Medicaid, but he’s endorsed a budget resolution passed by congressional Republicans, including House members from Colorado, that mandates cuts only achievable by reducing spending on Medicaid.
Faced with Colorado’s constitutionally mandated balanced budget, Polis, in fact, proposed to decrease or delay Medicaid reimbursement rates, but he’s been clear about his stance on federal Medicaid funding.
In a letter on Monday, Polis and Lieutenant Gov. Diane Primavera urged the Colorado congressional delegation to “oppose Congressionally-proposed cuts to Medicaid funding that would throw hundreds of thousands of Coloradans off their health insurance and increase costs transferred due to uncompensated care for the rest. Children, hardworking individuals, people with disabilities, seniors, and safety net providers are not political pawns or talking points. These cuts would mean losing access to lifesaving care with devastating consequences.”
Watch extended clips of Kirkmeyer’s Aug. 15, 2022 conversation with Jon Caldera below:
