11-13-25 *INTERVIEW* Senator Barb Kirkmeyer Explains Her Position on Proposed Medicaid Cuts

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get right to our KOA Commons Spirit Health hotline,
where we are joined by state Senator Republican state Senator
from Wells County, Barb Kirkmeyer, who is seeking the Republican
nomination for governor. And before we just bring Barb into
the conversation, let me just share with you two headlines
that kind of lay out the topic we are going

(00:21):
to cover with Barb today. The Denver Post says Governor
Jared Polis's proposed Medicaid cuts get cold reception from lawmakers,
and the Denver Gazette says Polus's budget proposal faces backlash
over Medicaid. And I was a little bit surprised, although
I think it just meant that there was a lot

(00:42):
I didn't understand to see a fiscal conservative like Barb
Kirkmeyer aggressively criticizing Medicaid spending cuts because the costs of
Medicaid are squeezing so many other things out of the
state budget. And Barb knows more about the state budget
than almost anybody, So it just meant to me there's

(01:04):
something I don't understand if a conservative Republican is criticizing
Medicaid cuts. So Barb Kirkmeyer, Welcome to the show, and
please edumacate me on why a fiscal conservative like you
is opposing Medicaid cuts or these specific Medicaid cuts.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
So here's the thing, r There's a difference between constraining
growth and misplacing priorities. And that's the problem we have
with this governor. Every time he presents a budget, responsible
budgeting means you tighten your own belt first kind of thing.
This government governor, he's not necessarily constraining growth where it matters.
He's only constraining growth for families and jeopardizing access to
healthcare for everyone, especially women. He's cutting care for kids

(01:44):
with autism and new moms.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
But he's growing.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Government by another two hundred full time employees, another two
hundred employees in a time when we are in a
structural deficit for the fifth year. So that's not constraining growth.
That's shifting onto the backs of the most vulnerable. So
here's what's happening in our state. If you rely on
Medicaid insurance, if you're a woman in a maternal health

(02:08):
care desert, if you have a child with autism, for example,
you're taking the cuts. If you're a bureaucrat, You're going
to get a raise. How does that make sense. That's
why I was going after the governor. This governor used
to balance the budget on the backs of students. Now
he's balancing the budget on the backs of people who
rely on Medicaid and jeopardizing health care for everybody, every Colorado.

(02:30):
But I think that's irresponsible. And let me just tell
you why. I say it's every.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Colorado in because I know that sounds probably sounds crazy
to folks, and you're probably thinking, what's gotten into Kirkmeier.
But here's the thing.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Our healthcare system right now is in crisis mode. And
if you continually, year over year, cut the amount of
dollars that you reimburse hospitals, doctors, nurses, and clinics and
everyone else.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
In the healthcare system for health care services.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
That they provide, they either go out of business or
they stop providing that service. And what has happened. We
have twenty five counties that have maternal health care deserts,
no maternal health care that is not just for people
on Medicaid, that is for every woman in that county
has no place to go for maternal health care. Every woman,

(03:19):
So I don't know why he's trying to jeopardize healthcare
for women throughout the state of Colorado, but that's what
he's doing. And it's gotten worse since the governor had
continues to come in with these cuts. And it's not
just this year. Year over year, he has been not
funding reimbursements to providers even at inflation, and even at inflation,
which means that's a cut they can't afford it.

Speaker 3 (03:41):
So here's what's happened.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Delta County in the last eight weeks closed their maternal
health care in Delta County. In Loveland, they closed the
hospital up there. One of the hospitals up there closed
their emergency care and their impatient services. And another hospital
in Greeley is taught in Greeley now is talking about
closing their maternal health care because they can't afford it.

(04:06):
And it goes back to these cuts to providers. And
so let me let me jump in here, bar I
am here all right.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Let me let me let me jump in and I
think Gina may have a question for you in a
moment as well, but let me just jump in. So
I'm fully with you that Governor Poulis has grown government
too much. I think we need to keep that a
separate issue on the on the Medicaid thing. And you
know this very very well as as one of the smartest,

(04:34):
most informed members of the Joint Budget Committee. That meant,
the cost of Medicaid and the share of the total
General Fund spending that is eaten up by Medicaid has
just been absolutely exploding. So let's say I take you
at your word that by having reimbursement rates that are

(04:55):
not even keeping up with inflation, effectively, every time a
doctor performed a procedure of some sort has an appointment
of some sort with a Medicaid patient patient, that doctor,
in constant dollars is getting paid less and less every year,
and at some point it's unsustainable. So I'm with you
on all of that, but I would submit to you

(05:16):
that something must be done to restrain the growth of
cost of Medicaid. So what is that thing that needs
to be done?

Speaker 2 (05:25):
And thank you, that's a great question. And we need
to look at the services that we are providing and
who are we providing those two I'm not saying we
shouldn't be making some kind of cunts in this area, but.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
We need to look at that.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
So we have expanded the number of people and different
populations that we provide Medicaid insurance for and right, and
then we have to pay the providers, So we need
to look at that.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
There is about forty.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
Percent of the population that is able bodied, that means
able to go to work. And you know, this is
one of the discussions that was coming up at the
federal level, is like, if they're able bodied, shouldn't they
be required to go to work before they can get
on Medicaid, Or maybe we should limit the amount of
Medicaid that they can receive. I think there are things
that like that that we need to look at the

(06:13):
percentage of the federal poverty level that we are using.
We have expanded it. Normally, when medicaids started, it's at
like one hundred and thirty eight percent of the federal
poverty level. Now, I want everybody to understand the amount
of income annually. Income for a family of four, the
federal poverty level is that if they're making less than
about thirty three thousand dollars a year, they're considered in poverty. Right,

(06:36):
they're less than that federal poverty level. So, you know,
we were supposed to be providing medicaid for those people
who are truly the most vulnerable among us, truly the
most you know, lowest income, the people who can't afford it,
because that's what government is supposed to be doing. So,
you know, I think we need to look at where
have we expanded both at the state.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
I mean, we have gone in and.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
Gone after waiver after waiver to exempt things out, so
increasing our costs in medicaid. And then the other thing
that we have done here in government is we have
increased the cost of doing business. And that's not just
for small businesses or for the agriculture industry or the
energy industry or other industries. That includes doctors' offices and hospitals,

(07:18):
and we have expanded the cost by regulation and increasing
their costs. So I mean we have to look at
things like that where we should be cutting through some
of this red tape from all this regulation that has
been passed on to every industry, every business in this state.
Those are things we should be looking at as well.
I wasn't saying when I said the governor was being irresponsible.

(07:39):
I wasn't saying that we shouldn't be making cuts in
the Department of Healthcare policy and finance, because again their
administrative cost of grown by eighty four percent over a
six year period, eighty four percent, and so.

Speaker 1 (07:52):
So I just jump, we're just in the interesting time.
Gine's got a question for you.

Speaker 4 (08:00):
Yeah, Center kirk br I'm curious when you go back
when you talk about the maternal health and those who
supervise people with autism, can you paint a picture a
little bit about this budget includes limiting home caregiver hours
and changing how much is paid to those people who
supervise those with autism. Does that mean is there the
possibility of people losing the quality of care they're currently

(08:20):
getting if their supervisors start being paid less.

Speaker 3 (08:23):
Absolutely, that's absolutely what it means.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
So home health care, I want you to think about
moms and dads out there who have children with severe disabilities,
and then their children grow up and they become adults,
and the people who are caring for them, so we
don't have the high cost of going into institutions, but
the people who are caring for them are their parents,
and their parents are aging now. They and the governor's

(08:47):
proposal cuts home health care codes, which cuts their reimbursement
rates and makes it almost nearly impossible for them to
be able to provide that care. What's going to happen next?

Speaker 3 (08:57):
This is why this budget is just so or it's cited,
and what the governor.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
Is looking at. You know, we have to look at
the long game here. We have to look and see
what how.

Speaker 3 (09:05):
This is going to impact all the way through.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
And those parents that we just talked about that are
taking care of their adult children with severe disabilities versus
putting them into an institution, those Medicaid reimbursement rates have
been cut as well. Those parents. I received numerous emails.
I'm sure everyone on the Joint Budget Committee has, but
it's those parents that are probably the most scared.

Speaker 3 (09:27):
It's like, what are we supposed to do?

Speaker 2 (09:29):
What are they going to do? And who's going to
care for their child when they are when you know,
these folks are no longer with us and there's nobody
else around to care for their child.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
This issue is definitely not going away. So Barb, we
will we will have you back. And I will just
say to you from my own personal you know, bias
or whatever you want to call it, like I understand
what you're saying here, and this idea of maternal healthcare deserts,
and and maybe a pregnant woman, possibly a high risk pregnancy,
having to drive an hour, two hours, three hour to

(10:00):
maybe not three but a couple to get to a
doctor or hospital is a significant problem. But I also,
or I should say, and I also am relying on
you as a fiscally conservative Republican to find a way
to do something about healthcare spending in Colorado. So if
you're going to say we can't cut medicaid this way,
I do. Next time we talk want to hear you,

(10:22):
you know, with some specifics, we should cut medicaid this
other way. And I'm counting on you for that because
the Democrats are not going to come up with it.
Barb Kirkmeyer, State Senator, Republican candidate for governor as well,
Thanks for your time.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Thank you, and I'll be back on and we'll talk
about it.

Speaker 1 (10:39):
You got it.