Colorado Republicans have now pulled the plug on a bill that sought to repeal the state’s health care exchange,reports The Denver Post.
Meanwhile, rural hospitals received a bit of good news. The Colorado Legislature has passed a bill preventing $528 million in cuts to hospital funding. Some conservative lawmakers opposed the bill, as they say it will only lead to more spending and debt. Instead, they said the measure should have gone to the voters.
But Senate President Pro Tem Jerry Sonnenberg praised the bill, saying it was important for lawmakers to put politics aside and help struggling state hospitals. Sonnenberg called the rural hospital crisis a matter of life and death. However, the measure caused headaches for Democrats too, as it will increase the cost of health care for Medicaid patients by $4.3 million.