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Robilyn Robison of Arvada, who has a 15-year-old child with autism, holds a sign criticizing Gov. Jared Polis\u2019 proposed Medicaid budget cuts during a rally at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Nov. 18, 2025. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)<\/p>\n
It also comes as the Medicaid program has faced embarrassment over high-profile misspending. Federal officials determined that the state health care department misspent $77.8 million<\/a> in payments for Medicaid services for children with autism, and requested this month that Colorado return $42.6 million of that money.\u00a0<\/p>\n Medicaid officials recently revealed that they had overpaid contracted transportation providers<\/a> for patients who use wheelchairs by several million dollars per year. It took five years to catch the mistake involving an incorrect billing code.\u00a0<\/p>\n The resolution specifically cited the wheelchair error, which was projected to cost the state more than $30 million in the current fiscal year before it was found.<\/p>\n Bimestefer, who is in her ninth year leading HCPF, said in a statement that it has been \u201ca true blessing\u201d to serve in the Polis administration.<\/p>\n \u201cAcross my career, this public service chapter has proven to be the most important and meaningful, and I am honored to have had this opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cI have had the privilege of advancing systems that help Coloradans \u2014 often in the most difficult times in their lives \u2014 get the care and support they need to rise and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n State Medicaid officials, including Bimestefer, have countered that decisions made by lawmakers have driven a lot of the increased spending<\/a>. One example is a program lawmakers created to provide health coverage to people who are otherwise ineligible for Medicaid because of their immigration status. The program\u2019s costs are more than 600% higher than expected<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Polis administration has seen remarkable stability in agency leadership during the governor\u2019s two terms and as Polis finishes his final year in the governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n The leaders of the Department of Public Health and Environment, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Regulatory Agencies, among others, have all been in their roles since the beginning of Polis\u2019 first term.<\/p>\n Bimestefer was first appointed the executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing in 2018, during the final year of Gov. John Hickenlooper\u2019s term. She continued on as the head of the agency, known as HCPF, when Polis took office.<\/p>\n Under Bimestefer, a former insurance executive, HCPF has dramatically expanded its role. The agency manages Medicaid in Colorado as well as a companion program, the Child Health Plan Plus. Both serve Coloradans with low incomes or disabilities who would struggle to afford health care otherwise.<\/p>\n With Polis\u2019 backing, Bimestefer has pushed the agency to take on a role as an all-purpose warrior against high health care costs. The agency has undertaken detailed analyses of hospital finances, sought to change how hospitals are paid and pushed to import prescription drugs from Canada, among other initiatives.<\/p>\n \u201cIn her tenure, Colorado has taken major steps to increase price transparency, reduce hospital and prescription drug costs, and hold the health care industry accountable,\u201d Polis said in his statement. \u201cHer legacy is one we hope to build on moving forward, and know that she will continue having an important impact on health care and serving her state in her next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_6096-1200x840.jpg\")
The website of Health First Colorado, the name used by Colorado\u2019s Medicaid program, on Aug. 20, 2025. (John Ingold, The Colorado Sun)<\/p>\n