Tracking what's destroying Colorado
A curated collection of bills, news, and resources about Colorado politics and policy
A curated collection of bills, news, and resources about Colorado politics and policy
In a critical investigative piece published on November 14, 2025, by the Rocky Mountain Voice, author Cory Gaines uncovers a pattern of Medicaid expansions under Colorado Governor Jared Polis that directly contradicts his recent complaints about the program's skyrocketing costs. Using Colorado's legislative bill search tool, the article identifies over a dozen bills signed by Polis since 2019 that broadened eligibility, added benefits, and reallocated federal funds—such as allowing seniors and the disabled to buy into coverage (2020), funding equine therapy (2022), covering homemaker services with enhanced federal matching (SB23-289 in 2023), and studying reimbursements for social needs like housing and utilities (2024). These actions have helped grow Medicaid to serve 1.2 million Coloradans, fueling budget pressures. Yet, in a recent press conference, Polis blamed "benefits that have been added in recent years" as unsustainable, suggesting cuts to services rather than addressing enrollment. The piece accuses Polis of hypocrisy for passively framing expansions as someone else's doing while personally approving them, urging taxpayers to demand accountability for this self-inflicted fiscal strain.
Governor Polis's finger-pointing at "unsustainable" Medicaid add-ons is the height of political theater—classic big-government sleight of hand where leaders balloon the bureaucracy on the taxpayer's dime, then act shocked when the bill comes due. This isn't some mysterious force adding perks like horse therapy or homemaker handouts; it's Polis himself rubber-stamping these expansions year after year, turning a safety net into a sprawling entitlement machine that's now devouring Colorado's budget. With enrollment exploding to 1.2 million and costs threatening to crowd out everything from roads to schools, it's time to stop the blame game and start real reforms: tighten eligibility, axe the frills, and prioritize fiscal sanity over feel-good giveaways. Voters didn't elect him to grow government until it groans—now he needs to own the mess and lead on solutions that don't bankrupt the state.