November 10, 2025 • 17 mins
BARB KIRKMEYER POPS BY AT 2:30 To talk about all sorts of stuff, not the least of which is Michael Bennet complaining about affordability in Colorado when we all know it's been the Democrats who have made it unaffordable.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
State Senator Barb Kirkmeyers. She'd also like to be your
next governor and is in the Republican race for the nomination.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Barb, good to hear from you again.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Hey, nice to hear from you too. Thanks for everything
you're doing as well.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
So you know, I have to say, Barb, I'm in
a different position than you. When I hear Democrats of
any stripe in Colorado talking about making Colorado more affordable,
I just take it as a laugh line, right, I mean,
because it's hilarious because since they've taken over every branch
of government in twenty nineteen, government has grown exponentially, the
(00:34):
cost of everything has grown exponentially. And I'm not saying
that everything is the Democrats in Colorado's fault, because it isn't.
Like We've also had national inflation that's been a mess.
But now to see them earnestly running on making Colorado
more affordable, it makes me laugh.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I guess I shouldn't look at it that way. I
should take it more seriously.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, I think sometimes the only thing you can do
is lab and try and and just work way through it.
But quite honestly, you're exactly right, you know, Democrats are
going around saying, oh my god, the state's unaffordable, all
these things, you know. I mean, we just heard from
Michael Bennett. He put out this post and was on
a podcast saying that it's you know, a lot of
other words, but it basically said it was disgraceful, and
(01:16):
it is disgraceful. But you know what, he has said nothing.
He has said nothing for the last six and a
half seven years when all of this has been happening.
Because seven years ago, before this one party control that
we have, we weren't the fifth most unaffordable state in
the nation. We weren't the second most unsafe state in
the nation. We weren't the sixth most regulated. I mean,
(01:37):
what did they think was going to happen when they
passed all those regulations and pass those onto businesses that
just get passed on to consumers. Did they think things
weren't going to cost more? I mean, it's crazy, but
it's their fault. It is just their fault.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, And so they're already lining up because I think
that that messaging in the last election cycle, and let's
be real, I mean, it was a schlacking across Colorado
for conservatives once again, and part of the reason that
I think some of the races were one, at least
in some of the school boards, was that they focused
(02:12):
on real life issues. And I think that the Democrats
are now moving away from this sort of identity politics
that they've been so immersed in for so many years.
So how do you, Barb Kirkmeyer, point out to the
voters who may not necessarily be the most informed voters
about why we're sort of where we are today? How
(02:32):
do you push back on that narrative without just going
are you kidding me? Because that's what I would say,
and that's why I'm not a politician.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
So I've been in several forums with you know, Democrats
who are running for office, whether it's attorney general, treasurer,
or gouvenatorial and you know, just even a few weeks ago,
I was in in front of the Denver Junior League
about two hundred to two hundred and fifty one, and
we were talking about women issues and government. And I
(03:03):
set there for an hour and a half and listened
to the Democrat candidates and or their surrogates, and I
was the only Republican candidate actually there, which I think
we've got to go out and keep make sure that
we're in front of every group. When I rent the governor,
I'm readying to be a governor for everybody in the state,
not just a certain flex few. But you know, I
listened to him for an hour and a half talk
(03:23):
about the cost of groceries and how expensive it was
and how unsafe our communities are. And literally I ended
up being the last person to speak. I got the
last shot at closing statements, and I just said, they're right,
it is And I said, and it's their fault. It's
one party control. They have done this year over a year,
and they've made our state unaffordable, unsafe, and quite frankly,
(03:46):
we are just unraveling. And the thing is, you know,
and this is what I tell folks, even as I
talk about the healthcare situation in our state. The governor
just cut Medicaid, cut medicaids, and he cut Medicaid provider rates.
And my Democrat colleagues on the Joint Budgets Committee set
there and said nothing. It's infuriating. I mean, finally, today
(04:09):
we're getting a post out from the Colorado Sun that says,
you know, this is how bad it's going to hurt
all these people on Medicaid. It is not just the
people on Medicaid that will be hurt by this. With
twenty five counties with maternal health care desert, that means
whether you're on Medicaid or not, you're not getting maternal
healthcare in those areas of our state. That's what this
one party control has done in the state of Colorado,
(04:32):
and they're making it worse. The governor came out, so
I mean, I do everything I can to get the
message out, you know, and we have books like yourselves
and other people in the media that are getting it out.
But even like you know today, when I saw that
headline come out, it was the other day, and you know,
I've just had the opportunity to say, start reading things again.
I'm like, I sent, you know, sent out a tweet
(04:53):
that said, look, the headline should have read this is
Polis Medicaid cuts. You know, the polist Medicaid cuts will
hurt families across Colorado. And the Dems on the joint
Budeviney that they've said nothing. They refused to hold him accountable.
But the people in this state, we all need to
start holding him accountable because he's affecting everyone's access to healthcare,
not just those who are the most poor among us,
(05:15):
you know, the most vulnerable among us. He's doing it
to everybody. It's hurting everybody, and they are feeling it.
And I think that's what's showing up in the polls.
And I know, you know, the election, and I'm sorry,
I'm kind of going on here a little long, but
I know that last election, you know, Tuesday, last week,
everybodything all it was a slacking and to some extent
it was. But I think for those of us that
(05:37):
are involved in this, you know, we know that which
school board members are Republicans and which ones are Democrats
or you know, unaffiliated or you know where they stand.
But on the healthy mials thing, we have voted on
that twice and so the third time, I mean, there
wasn't that much on the ballot and I just don't
think people were that you know, interested in it. And
but for the third time, it's like, well, we voted
(05:58):
on that twice, and you know, the two times before,
if they passed it. And so when the message is, gus,
do you think we should tack somebody else other than
yourself so that in school, you know, what do you
think they're gonna say, well, I mean, wait, but.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
You know as well as I do, that that bill
was not about making sure kids could eat at school.
It was about putting the progressive income taxes Camel knows
underneath the tent. And I keep saying on social media,
I'm like, you know what, all you people who voted
to stick it to the rich, wait until you find
out you're the rich, because they will come for you
(06:34):
with a progressive income tax.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Absolutely. But you know, but Manny, it has been on
twice before. This was can we keep the money that
you already said should go to kids to feed kids
in schools? You know? And people are like, well, yeah,
why not? You know, I mean I think that's how
people approached it. And they's like, we've already voted for twice,
why would we not vote for again? And you and
I know what's behind it, but they don't, right, But
(06:57):
you know I will. I will see this as well.
I think it is starting to permeate into folks who
are not underneath what I call the golden bubble down there.
You know that, you know, we get so closed in.
It's like our own little echo chamber going on. But
I think it is starting to permeate because even with
this snap the supplemental nutrition program. I mean, you've got
you have Senator Bennett calling out and saying it's a
(07:20):
disgrace that we're so unaffordable, and then he continues to
vote for the shutdown. This isn't on the Democrat. They
continue to vote for the shutdown time and time again.
Our two US senators keep doing that. And basically, you know,
and it's a one hundred and twenty million dollar program
a month, and Post is like, well, let's fill the
gap with ten million bucks. And I'm like, you need
(07:42):
to call a state of emergency, tap into the emergency fund,
and start figuring out how to make this work in
our state. Because it's six hundred thousand people that aren't
going to have food on their table, and half of
those three hundred thousand of them are kids. So what
does he think they're going to do for Thanksgiving? For
goodness sakes? You know. But here's what's happened just recently,
(08:02):
and I had mag comments and I started talking to
some of my county's richter friends. Jefferson County declared an
emergency disaster that people aren't going to get fed. This
is a this is a big deal, you know kind
of thing, and you know, but here's here's Bennett, Well,
we're unaffordable, and you know whose fault is it? It's
the Democrats. And then on top of it all, he
keeps shutting down government and is the real him and
(08:25):
Hickenlooper are right there at the top of the list
of people who are denying people's food in our state.
That's ridiculous. That's just ridiculous to me.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
I think the entire government shutdown is ridiculous. I think
that the fact that we're doing a continuing resolution over
and over and over again and expecting a different result
is ridiculous. But as governor of Colorado, what would you
do to do a better job managing those Medicaid funds,
managing the healthcare needs of the state, recognizing that, especially
(08:56):
in some mountain communities, health insurance is insane. How do
you even begin to do something here at the state level.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Some of the things that I've already done is trying
to ensure again that the Medicaid provider rates that there
is an increase. Of course, now I'm getting pushed back
from not only the Governor's office, but even people on
the Joint Budget Committee who don't want to keep those
rates up because I guess people just everyone needs to
understand when you cut the Medicaid provider rates, it cuts
access to certainly right off the top the one point
(09:27):
two million people who are on Medicaid, but it ends
up cutting access for everybody in the state of Colorado
because those providers leave the system. So I already talked
about hospitals that have closed their maternal healthcare wards. We
have hospitals now that are in Loveland and Greeley that
are turning the close things like their emergency centers and
they're in patient services because they can't afford to bring
(09:49):
on Medicaid patients because it's running their hospital into the
ground kind of thing, and so they can't thrive, they
can't continue on. So it's going to impact everybody. And
then last year able to carry a bill working again
with the Hospital Association and looking at how do we
pull down federal dollars, you know, the taxes that we
pay in I'm trying to make sure we get them
back here for our books, but how do we pull
(10:11):
down federal dollars to stabilize the safety net. And we
were able to again, working with hospitals who are going
to contribute, you know, donate funds for us to the
state so that we can pull down federal funds essentially
a match, you know, it's a dollar for dollar match
kind of thing to start stabilizing our healthcare safety net.
So those are things that I've worked on, but quite frankly,
(10:31):
it's we have got to get some legislators and a
governor's office who understand that when you cut medicaid, what
I mean, our healthcare system is in crisis mode and
they're just making it worse for everyone in this state.
And so I do my best to try and you know,
increase the education part. But as a governor, there are
other things that we should be cutting other than Medicaid.
(10:52):
I mean, the governor came in with his budget request
to cut Medicaid by another three hundred to three hundred
and thirty million dollars.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Where's that money?
Speaker 1 (11:01):
I mean, where is that money going to come from?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
In the medicaids?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
This has been Don't get me wrong, I think that
there's probably a lot of fat in the Medicaid system
and probably a lot of fraud. But if we're not
going to redirect any of that three hundred million into findings,
specifically those those areas.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Of fraud where we can go after fraudsters.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I don't know where that money comes from, and I
think some of that go ahead.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I'm sorry, I know I was going to say.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I just think it's interesting that he's he's able to
do that so cavalierly and have no political or media
pushback at all.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Exactly, and he has had some pushback. I mean, we've
gotten some pushback on it, but there honestly, here's what
this governor is doing. He is punting. He is trying
to push this problem out as far as he can
so he can claim that, you know, just like he says,
I'm saving you money. I mean, and he created the
Office of Saving people Money. Seriously, have we all saved money?
(11:56):
Because I have not. I don't think anyone else that
i'd talk to. And so he's like the emperor who
wears no clothes, right, but he's walking around and what
he thinks are these great clothes and he basically has
no clothes on. Rite that story, and that's what he's doing.
It's like, look, if I just keep telling you over
and over and over again that I've saved you money.
You're gonna believe me I saved you money. So if
(12:16):
I keep telling you over and over again that I'm
balancing the budget, You're going to believe me that I
balanced the budget. And people do need to push back.
In fact, I've had some of those conversations, and I
was talking you know, at the hospital Association and you know,
these patient groups, and it's like, it can't just be me,
it has to be all of you that start pushing back.
You need to get the message out through your associations,
(12:36):
through your organizations, through your patient organizations, that the governor
is doing this. I mean, the disability organizations, you know,
non for profit groups are out there. They're they're getting
the message out. That's why we're starting to see more stories.
But the governor isn't feeling any pain here. He's not
feeling anything, you know. You know at one point, you know,
(12:57):
I asked, you know, some of his staff last year,
like why does the governor hate kids with autism? Yeah?
When I put that out on Twitter, I finally get there,
you know, get their attention. But it's things like that,
and you know, and it's kind of wait, wait, let
me let me stalk you right there.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I have to ask for clarification.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
So you did you try to talk to the governor
before before you you sent out on social media? Why
do you hate kids with autism? Is that what it
took to get a conversation with the governor.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
So here's what happened. No, I didn't get a conversation
with the governor. Here's what happened. We had a case
and this was started in twenty four where the Medicaid
rate that was being paid for children with autism was
being reduced to the point that kids that are you know,
kids who are maybe being on the spectrum but we
don't know, weren't getting their assessments and their evaluations done.
(13:45):
And those need to be done when they're they're three
and no later than four, you know, three to four
years of age. They need to have these evaluations and
these assessments done. And what was happening is because the
provider rate was so low that the assessments, the waiting
list was getting pushed out like twelve and eighteen months.
I mean, this assessment is what then determines around four
(14:06):
and five years of age, the types of resources that
these children need so that they can have a successful future,
successful life, you know, a better quality of life in
the future. And we were cutting we weren't pick puff
was pulling back on them on the Medicaid rates for
these certain codes. Okay, So I was able to push
(14:28):
through and at that time the members of the Joint
Budget Committee backed me up, and we were able to
push through an increase to the Medicaid provider rate for
these codes, for these so these kids could get these assessments,
so that providers would quit leaving our state, and that
they would you know, quit leaving the system, and that
they would stay in the system and these kids could
get their assessments. I was so bafter we got that
(14:49):
pushed through, and it was a JBC, a Joint Budget
Committee supplemental that I was, you know, really pushed on.
But again the other members agreed with me. We get
a push through. I'm told by you know, one of
the staff members of the Governor's office like, well, we're
going to do a comeback on that and and cut
that out. And I'm like them, are like, oh, please
do so I can explain to everybody how you hate
(15:10):
kids with autism, Like why is that? And then but
here's what happened. That was part of his cut right
after the special session, is to cut that rate. Specifically,
the thing that I had increase they cut. I mean,
I think they're like target anything I do, frankly, so
I'm just like, you know, why does the governor hate
kids with autism? You know, why does the governor hate
(15:31):
kids that are in school, like, you know, in special education?
Then he doesn't want to fund them, you know kind
of thing. And you know, I mean that's how that's
how far I feel like I have to go to
get his attention and then you know, then his staff
will come back with something. But in the meantime, he's
cut those kids with autism, he's cut families who have
children adult children with disabilities, when he's cutting MEDICAIDS. That's
(15:51):
what's happening. Those people are starting to push back. There
have been some articles, but it just needs to be everybody,
and it's not just the governor. The leg lators that
are on the Joint Budget Committee need to have an
understanding of how this is hurting all Colorado families, not
just a few. It's hurting everybody. And the Governor's budget request,
the Governor's coming in front of us the Joint Budget Committee.
(16:12):
On Wednesday we have our session where he has to
present his budget request. His budget request is cutting medicaid
bought out, and I asked them in the one on
one meeting that I did eventually have with the governor
and the Office of State Planning and Budget Director Mark Ferandino.
I finally had a meeting with them after I had
to complain about things and you know, and put out
(16:34):
messages and Mary Anne Goodlin from the Colorada Politics put
an article out on this stuff. I asked him, I
was like, how much general fun are you actually cutting
in your budget request. They won't even answer the question.
They're like, well, that's a pudicator, so it's not that complicated.
I need to know. And that's the question I'm going
to ask next week. By the way, So on Wednesday,
I'm asking that question. I hope they have an answer.
(16:54):
I said, well, have you back on?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Well, have you back on? You get that information.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Senator Barb Kerkmeier, who I think probably has the best
chance of wrangling Colorado's budget under control.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But we'll see. Barbo's good to talk to you. We'll
talk to again soon.
State Senator Barb Kirkmeyers. She'd also like to be your
next governor and is in the Republican race for the nomination.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Barb, good to hear from you again.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Hey, nice to hear from you too. Thanks for everything
you're doing as well.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
So you know, I have to say, Barb, I'm in
a different position than you. When I hear Democrats of
any stripe in Colorado talking about making Colorado more affordable,
I just take it as a laugh line, right, I mean,
because it's hilarious because since they've taken over every branch
of government in twenty nineteen, government has grown exponentially, the
(00:34):
cost of everything has grown exponentially. And I'm not saying
that everything is the Democrats in Colorado's fault, because it isn't.
Like We've also had national inflation that's been a mess.
But now to see them earnestly running on making Colorado
more affordable, it makes me laugh.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I guess I shouldn't look at it that way. I
should take it more seriously.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, I think sometimes the only thing you can do
is lab and try and and just work way through it.
But quite honestly, you're exactly right, you know, Democrats are
going around saying, oh my god, the state's unaffordable, all
these things, you know. I mean, we just heard from
Michael Bennett. He put out this post and was on
a podcast saying that it's you know, a lot of
other words, but it basically said it was disgraceful, and
(01:16):
it is disgraceful. But you know what, he has said nothing.
He has said nothing for the last six and a
half seven years when all of this has been happening.
Because seven years ago, before this one party control that
we have, we weren't the fifth most unaffordable state in
the nation. We weren't the second most unsafe state in
the nation. We weren't the sixth most regulated. I mean,
(01:37):
what did they think was going to happen when they
passed all those regulations and pass those onto businesses that
just get passed on to consumers. Did they think things
weren't going to cost more? I mean, it's crazy, but
it's their fault. It is just their fault.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, And so they're already lining up because I think
that that messaging in the last election cycle, and let's
be real, I mean, it was a schlacking across Colorado
for conservatives once again, and part of the reason that
I think some of the races were one, at least
in some of the school boards, was that they focused
(02:12):
on real life issues. And I think that the Democrats
are now moving away from this sort of identity politics
that they've been so immersed in for so many years.
So how do you, Barb Kirkmeyer, point out to the
voters who may not necessarily be the most informed voters
about why we're sort of where we are today? How
(02:32):
do you push back on that narrative without just going
are you kidding me? Because that's what I would say,
and that's why I'm not a politician.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
So I've been in several forums with you know, Democrats
who are running for office, whether it's attorney general, treasurer,
or gouvenatorial and you know, just even a few weeks ago,
I was in in front of the Denver Junior League
about two hundred to two hundred and fifty one, and
we were talking about women issues and government. And I
(03:03):
set there for an hour and a half and listened
to the Democrat candidates and or their surrogates, and I
was the only Republican candidate actually there, which I think
we've got to go out and keep make sure that
we're in front of every group. When I rent the governor,
I'm readying to be a governor for everybody in the state,
not just a certain flex few. But you know, I
listened to him for an hour and a half talk
(03:23):
about the cost of groceries and how expensive it was
and how unsafe our communities are. And literally I ended
up being the last person to speak. I got the
last shot at closing statements, and I just said, they're right,
it is And I said, and it's their fault. It's
one party control. They have done this year over a year,
and they've made our state unaffordable, unsafe, and quite frankly,
(03:46):
we are just unraveling. And the thing is, you know,
and this is what I tell folks, even as I
talk about the healthcare situation in our state. The governor
just cut Medicaid, cut medicaids, and he cut Medicaid provider rates.
And my Democrat colleagues on the Joint Budgets Committee set
there and said nothing. It's infuriating. I mean, finally, today
(04:09):
we're getting a post out from the Colorado Sun that says,
you know, this is how bad it's going to hurt
all these people on Medicaid. It is not just the
people on Medicaid that will be hurt by this. With
twenty five counties with maternal health care desert, that means
whether you're on Medicaid or not, you're not getting maternal
healthcare in those areas of our state. That's what this
one party control has done in the state of Colorado,
(04:32):
and they're making it worse. The governor came out, so
I mean, I do everything I can to get the
message out, you know, and we have books like yourselves
and other people in the media that are getting it out.
But even like you know today, when I saw that
headline come out, it was the other day, and you know,
I've just had the opportunity to say, start reading things again.
I'm like, I sent, you know, sent out a tweet
(04:53):
that said, look, the headline should have read this is
Polis Medicaid cuts. You know, the polist Medicaid cuts will
hurt families across Colorado. And the Dems on the joint
Budeviney that they've said nothing. They refused to hold him accountable.
But the people in this state, we all need to
start holding him accountable because he's affecting everyone's access to healthcare,
not just those who are the most poor among us,
(05:15):
you know, the most vulnerable among us. He's doing it
to everybody. It's hurting everybody, and they are feeling it.
And I think that's what's showing up in the polls.
And I know, you know, the election, and I'm sorry,
I'm kind of going on here a little long, but
I know that last election, you know, Tuesday, last week,
everybodything all it was a slacking and to some extent
it was. But I think for those of us that
(05:37):
are involved in this, you know, we know that which
school board members are Republicans and which ones are Democrats
or you know, unaffiliated or you know where they stand.
But on the healthy mials thing, we have voted on
that twice and so the third time, I mean, there
wasn't that much on the ballot and I just don't
think people were that you know, interested in it. And
but for the third time, it's like, well, we voted
(05:58):
on that twice, and you know, the two times before,
if they passed it. And so when the message is, gus,
do you think we should tack somebody else other than
yourself so that in school, you know, what do you
think they're gonna say, well, I mean, wait, but.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
You know as well as I do, that that bill
was not about making sure kids could eat at school.
It was about putting the progressive income taxes Camel knows
underneath the tent. And I keep saying on social media,
I'm like, you know what, all you people who voted
to stick it to the rich, wait until you find
out you're the rich, because they will come for you
(06:34):
with a progressive income tax.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Absolutely. But you know, but Manny, it has been on
twice before. This was can we keep the money that
you already said should go to kids to feed kids
in schools? You know? And people are like, well, yeah,
why not? You know, I mean I think that's how
people approached it. And they's like, we've already voted for twice,
why would we not vote for again? And you and
I know what's behind it, but they don't, right, But
(06:57):
you know I will. I will see this as well.
I think it is starting to permeate into folks who
are not underneath what I call the golden bubble down there.
You know that, you know, we get so closed in.
It's like our own little echo chamber going on. But
I think it is starting to permeate because even with
this snap the supplemental nutrition program. I mean, you've got
you have Senator Bennett calling out and saying it's a
(07:20):
disgrace that we're so unaffordable, and then he continues to
vote for the shutdown. This isn't on the Democrat. They
continue to vote for the shutdown time and time again.
Our two US senators keep doing that. And basically, you know,
and it's a one hundred and twenty million dollar program
a month, and Post is like, well, let's fill the
gap with ten million bucks. And I'm like, you need
(07:42):
to call a state of emergency, tap into the emergency fund,
and start figuring out how to make this work in
our state. Because it's six hundred thousand people that aren't
going to have food on their table, and half of
those three hundred thousand of them are kids. So what
does he think they're going to do for Thanksgiving? For
goodness sakes? You know. But here's what's happened just recently,
(08:02):
and I had mag comments and I started talking to
some of my county's richter friends. Jefferson County declared an
emergency disaster that people aren't going to get fed. This
is a this is a big deal, you know kind
of thing, and you know, but here's here's Bennett, Well,
we're unaffordable, and you know whose fault is it? It's
the Democrats. And then on top of it all, he
keeps shutting down government and is the real him and
(08:25):
Hickenlooper are right there at the top of the list
of people who are denying people's food in our state.
That's ridiculous. That's just ridiculous to me.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
I think the entire government shutdown is ridiculous. I think
that the fact that we're doing a continuing resolution over
and over and over again and expecting a different result
is ridiculous. But as governor of Colorado, what would you
do to do a better job managing those Medicaid funds,
managing the healthcare needs of the state, recognizing that, especially
(08:56):
in some mountain communities, health insurance is insane. How do
you even begin to do something here at the state level.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Some of the things that I've already done is trying
to ensure again that the Medicaid provider rates that there
is an increase. Of course, now I'm getting pushed back
from not only the Governor's office, but even people on
the Joint Budget Committee who don't want to keep those
rates up because I guess people just everyone needs to
understand when you cut the Medicaid provider rates, it cuts
access to certainly right off the top the one point
(09:27):
two million people who are on Medicaid, but it ends
up cutting access for everybody in the state of Colorado
because those providers leave the system. So I already talked
about hospitals that have closed their maternal healthcare wards. We
have hospitals now that are in Loveland and Greeley that
are turning the close things like their emergency centers and
they're in patient services because they can't afford to bring
(09:49):
on Medicaid patients because it's running their hospital into the
ground kind of thing, and so they can't thrive, they
can't continue on. So it's going to impact everybody. And
then last year able to carry a bill working again
with the Hospital Association and looking at how do we
pull down federal dollars, you know, the taxes that we
pay in I'm trying to make sure we get them
back here for our books, but how do we pull
(10:11):
down federal dollars to stabilize the safety net. And we
were able to again, working with hospitals who are going
to contribute, you know, donate funds for us to the
state so that we can pull down federal funds essentially
a match, you know, it's a dollar for dollar match
kind of thing to start stabilizing our healthcare safety net.
So those are things that I've worked on, but quite frankly,
(10:31):
it's we have got to get some legislators and a
governor's office who understand that when you cut medicaid, what
I mean, our healthcare system is in crisis mode and
they're just making it worse for everyone in this state.
And so I do my best to try and you know,
increase the education part. But as a governor, there are
other things that we should be cutting other than Medicaid.
(10:52):
I mean, the governor came in with his budget request
to cut Medicaid by another three hundred to three hundred
and thirty million dollars.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Where's that money?
Speaker 1 (11:01):
I mean, where is that money going to come from?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
In the medicaids?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
This has been Don't get me wrong, I think that
there's probably a lot of fat in the Medicaid system
and probably a lot of fraud. But if we're not
going to redirect any of that three hundred million into findings,
specifically those those areas.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Of fraud where we can go after fraudsters.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I don't know where that money comes from, and I
think some of that go ahead.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I'm sorry, I know I was going to say.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I just think it's interesting that he's he's able to
do that so cavalierly and have no political or media
pushback at all.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Exactly, and he has had some pushback. I mean, we've
gotten some pushback on it, but there honestly, here's what
this governor is doing. He is punting. He is trying
to push this problem out as far as he can
so he can claim that, you know, just like he says,
I'm saving you money. I mean, and he created the
Office of Saving people Money. Seriously, have we all saved money?
(11:56):
Because I have not. I don't think anyone else that
i'd talk to. And so he's like the emperor who
wears no clothes, right, but he's walking around and what
he thinks are these great clothes and he basically has
no clothes on. Rite that story, and that's what he's doing.
It's like, look, if I just keep telling you over
and over and over again that I've saved you money.
You're gonna believe me I saved you money. So if
(12:16):
I keep telling you over and over again that I'm
balancing the budget, You're going to believe me that I
balanced the budget. And people do need to push back.
In fact, I've had some of those conversations, and I
was talking you know, at the hospital Association and you know,
these patient groups, and it's like, it can't just be me,
it has to be all of you that start pushing back.
You need to get the message out through your associations,
(12:36):
through your organizations, through your patient organizations, that the governor
is doing this. I mean, the disability organizations, you know,
non for profit groups are out there. They're they're getting
the message out. That's why we're starting to see more stories.
But the governor isn't feeling any pain here. He's not
feeling anything, you know. You know at one point, you know,
(12:57):
I asked, you know, some of his staff last year,
like why does the governor hate kids with autism? Yeah?
When I put that out on Twitter, I finally get there,
you know, get their attention. But it's things like that,
and you know, and it's kind of wait, wait, let
me let me stalk you right there.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I have to ask for clarification.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
So you did you try to talk to the governor
before before you you sent out on social media? Why
do you hate kids with autism? Is that what it
took to get a conversation with the governor.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
So here's what happened. No, I didn't get a conversation
with the governor. Here's what happened. We had a case
and this was started in twenty four where the Medicaid
rate that was being paid for children with autism was
being reduced to the point that kids that are you know,
kids who are maybe being on the spectrum but we
don't know, weren't getting their assessments and their evaluations done.
(13:45):
And those need to be done when they're they're three
and no later than four, you know, three to four
years of age. They need to have these evaluations and
these assessments done. And what was happening is because the
provider rate was so low that the assessments, the waiting
list was getting pushed out like twelve and eighteen months.
I mean, this assessment is what then determines around four
(14:06):
and five years of age, the types of resources that
these children need so that they can have a successful future,
successful life, you know, a better quality of life in
the future. And we were cutting we weren't pick puff
was pulling back on them on the Medicaid rates for
these certain codes. Okay, So I was able to push
(14:28):
through and at that time the members of the Joint
Budget Committee backed me up, and we were able to
push through an increase to the Medicaid provider rate for
these codes, for these so these kids could get these assessments,
so that providers would quit leaving our state, and that
they would you know, quit leaving the system, and that
they would stay in the system and these kids could
get their assessments. I was so bafter we got that
(14:49):
pushed through, and it was a JBC, a Joint Budget
Committee supplemental that I was, you know, really pushed on.
But again the other members agreed with me. We get
a push through. I'm told by you know, one of
the staff members of the Governor's office like, well, we're
going to do a comeback on that and and cut
that out. And I'm like them, are like, oh, please
do so I can explain to everybody how you hate
(15:10):
kids with autism, Like why is that? And then but
here's what happened. That was part of his cut right
after the special session, is to cut that rate. Specifically,
the thing that I had increase they cut. I mean,
I think they're like target anything I do, frankly, so
I'm just like, you know, why does the governor hate
kids with autism? You know, why does the governor hate
(15:31):
kids that are in school, like, you know, in special education?
Then he doesn't want to fund them, you know kind
of thing. And you know, I mean that's how that's
how far I feel like I have to go to
get his attention and then you know, then his staff
will come back with something. But in the meantime, he's
cut those kids with autism, he's cut families who have
children adult children with disabilities, when he's cutting MEDICAIDS. That's
(15:51):
what's happening. Those people are starting to push back. There
have been some articles, but it just needs to be everybody,
and it's not just the governor. The leg lators that
are on the Joint Budget Committee need to have an
understanding of how this is hurting all Colorado families, not
just a few. It's hurting everybody. And the Governor's budget request,
the Governor's coming in front of us the Joint Budget Committee.
(16:12):
On Wednesday we have our session where he has to
present his budget request. His budget request is cutting medicaid
bought out, and I asked them in the one on
one meeting that I did eventually have with the governor
and the Office of State Planning and Budget Director Mark Ferandino.
I finally had a meeting with them after I had
to complain about things and you know, and put out
(16:34):
messages and Mary Anne Goodlin from the Colorada Politics put
an article out on this stuff. I asked him, I
was like, how much general fun are you actually cutting
in your budget request. They won't even answer the question.
They're like, well, that's a pudicator, so it's not that complicated.
I need to know. And that's the question I'm going
to ask next week. By the way, So on Wednesday,
I'm asking that question. I hope they have an answer.
(16:54):
I said, well, have you back on?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Well, have you back on? You get that information.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Senator Barb Kerkmeier, who I think probably has the best
chance of wrangling Colorado's budget under control.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
But we'll see. Barbo's good to talk to you. We'll
talk to again soon.
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