Latest news with #ColoradoDepartmentofHealthCarePolicyandFinancing
CBS News
28-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans seeks to stop identity theft of Medicaid and Medicare doctors
Republican Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado is leading a bi-partisan effort to close a loophole in Medicare and Medicaid that he says is leading to identity theft. Evans introduced a bill that would require states to regularly check social security rolls for deceased physicians whose Medicaid or Medicare identification numbers are still being used to bill for services. Evans -- who has a son with serious medical problems -- says he wants to protect the federal health programs for those who need them most. "Preventing that identity theft from being weaponized in the Medicaid space by removing providers who have passed on from the system and taking that provider number out of system as a viable method to get payment," he said, "is step one in how we reduce these instances of what amounts to identity theft of a provider." He says the Government Accountability Office identified $54 billion in improper payments for Medicare and another $31 billion for Medicaid last year. A recent audit also found problems at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which oversees Medicaid. The problems include missing eligibility documentation and incorrect procedure codes in billing. The department says most of the problems had no financial impact and affected only a small percentage of the claims processed. It released a statement saying, "The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is committed to ensuring responsible use of taxpayer dollars to get Coloradans the care they qualify for and need to thrive, and we continue to implement changes and improvements to ensure this." Evans' bill comes as the U.S. Senate considers a measure that would require the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- which Evans sits on -- to cut $880 billion in spending . Medicaid is the largest program the committee oversees. Colorado's Department of Health Care Policy and Financing says those cuts could result in hundreds of thousands of Coloradans losing coverage.
Axios
14-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
Health care costs spike for undocumented immigrants
A Colorado program that provides taxpayer-funded health care to unauthorized immigrants is seeing costs spike more than 600% after the latest influx. Why it matters: The benefits that Colorado offers to people living in the country illegally are in the spotlight amid a federal crackdown on sanctuary states and cities. How it works: A 2022 law dubbed Cover All Coloradans provides the equivalent of Medicaid and children's health insurance coverage to those who would otherwise qualify if they were citizens. As of last week, enrollment topped 14,000 individuals, and Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing projections suggest it could increase to 15,000 next year. By the numbers: The initial cost estimates from 2022 came before Denver received approximately 42,000 immigrants from the U.S. southern border and anticipated a $2 million price tag for discretionary spending, according to legislative budget documents. Now, officials suggest the program's costs could spike to $16 million in the current fiscal year. In the next fiscal year, beginning July 1, costs are expected to double to $32 million. What they're saying: House Speaker Julie McCluskie, one of the original bill sponsors, defended the program's merits. "Making sure that people have access to insurance is better for the entire health care system," she told Axios. "Because when people show up [without coverage] … it creates expenses that go unpaid for our providers, and it adds a burden to the entire system." The other side: The two Republican lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee balked at the cost and its purpose, both voting against the measure. What we're watching: The Democratic-led committee gave initial approval for the additional money to cover the program's costs at a recent meeting, but lawmakers are considering possible caps to enrollment and other measures to limit its financial impact moving forward.
