The Colorado legislature is facing a $1.5 billion budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. To close the gap, lawmakers have looked to state reserves, have cut planned cost-of-living raises for state employees and have swept cash from fee-based accounts.
They’ve also proposed dozens of cuts, big and small, across numerous state programs. Here is a sampling of some of the programs that are either on the chopping block or slated to be pared back:
• $1.4 million from the adult dental fund for Medicaid users. The cuts would institute a $3,000 cap for covered individuals receiving adult dental services.
• $13.7 million cut to home health and private duty nursing rates.
• $3.3 million cut from the intellectual and developmental disability wait list for people waiting to receive services. This would create only one waitlist opening for every two people who disenroll, potentially doubling the duration of the waitlist, already seven years.
• $7.7 million to end automatic enrollment for children transitioning from youth developmental disability support to adult services.
• $84.2 million cut from payments made to health care providers paid through Medicaid. This represents a general 2% cut to those service providers, though rates for neonatal intensive care units and pediatric behavioral therapy would be untouched.
• $500,000 from a pilot program to assist with child care during a parent’s substance use disorder treatment.
• $500,000 from the Colorado Diaper Distribution Program.
• $1.3 million from a transitional jobs program that helps low-income adults. The program prioritizes military veterans, noncustodial parents and workers over the age of 50.
• $1 million cut to eliminate the school bullying prevention grant.
• $1 million from the adult education and literacy grants program.
• $700,000 cut from equine welfare, conservation and agrivoltaic grants in the Department of Agriculture.
• $1 million cut spread across offices overseen by the governor, including the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the technology assistance program and the Colorado Energy Office.
• $13 million from Cover All Coloradans, a program that mirrors Medicaid coverage for children and pregnant women in Colorado who are immigrants without legal status. The cuts would cap the available services and the number of people the program can serve. (Note: This proposal was amended on the House floor in recent days to reduce the cut. By tradition, amendments typically are stripped out when budget bills cross to the other legislative chamber, making this amendment’s future unclear.)
• $2.5 million from the health disparities and community grant program.
• $7.7 million from the Colorado auto theft prevention authority.
• $5 million from marketing for the Colorado Lottery.
• $14.2 million from financial aid for students at private colleges.
• $2.2 million cut by limiting subsidies for qualifying families that adopt or provide relative guardianship to children. Funding for the program is projected to increase overall to meet increased use.
Source: All figures are from the proposed Colorado general fund budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
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