WICS Live: Around the States

Colorado: Governor Outlines Second Rounds of Budget Cuts. Governor Bill Ritter (D) October 28th laid out his plan to cut another $286 million from the state budget, including reductions in Medicaid provider rates and more cuts to higher education. The governor cut $3.1 million from Medicaid providers, reducing rates by 1%, bringing this year's total cuts to the program to 4.5%. The cuts come on top of the $1.8 billion budget shortfall the state has already covered over the past year. The governor’s office warned that more cuts may be ahead, before the state’s budget year ends in June. State workers have also been ordered to take 4 additional furlough days in an effort to save money. Ritter this week will present his budget for the next fiscal year, and even deeper cuts are expected. The governor’s budget director said additional cuts are needed because of higher-than-expected Medicaid enrollment growth and previous cuts that Ritter backed away from—including $4.5 million he tried to cut for aid to low-income residents and people with disabilities.