Publication Library

Browse by tag

referendum c state budget tabor fmap recovery act 2010 colorado legislature health reform medical loss ratio taxes jobs and economic security transparency and accountability revenue annual report colorado center on law and policy snap food stamps health coverage health affordability earned income tax credit children health law and policy update child tax credit exempla hospitals colorado benefits management system public benefits weston v hammons election 2010 poverty health insurance work supports self-sufficiency standard jobs and economy unemployment insurance health access mental health high-risk pool health co-ops pre-existing conditions medicaid aiming for the middle gallagher amendment amendment 23 public option 2009 colorado legislature grandfathered health plans cobra health insurance exchange income 2007 colorado legislature arveschoug-bird tobacco securitization federal budget rainy day fund refund anticipation loans 2008 colorado legislature welfare reform colorado works deficit reduction act citizenship referendum d 2010 colorado legislatutre old age pension tax credits tax exemptions tax deductions provider rates state of working colorado government election 2008 education income tax single sales factor state children's health insurance program social security early retiree reinsurance program hospital provider fee insurance access sustainable growth rate formula recission prescription drugs medicare false claims act colorado all-payer health claims database insurance affordability 2011 colorado legislature election 2011 immigration child health plan plus health law and policy refugees family economic security economic self-sufficiency hospital conversion sidebar newsletter elder economic security long-term care accountable care collaborative 2012 colorado legislature

Sign Up

Receive email updates

Thanks To Our
Generous Donors Like:

Colorado Civic Engagement

The High Cost of Cutting Services: A detailed look at selected state budget cuts

On August 18, 2009, Governor Ritter announced $318 million in budget cuts designed to bridge a growing shortfall in this year’s state budget (FY 2009‐2010). As Colorado has experienced declining revenues and a growing budget gap, many are increasingly concerned about the impacts of these cuts on Colorado families. By making continued cuts in a state that ranks 47th in the country in key areas of investment like health care, education, transportation, and higher education, Colorado risks pursuing a fiscal strategy that could prolong its perpetual budget crisis.

This Issue Brief focuses on specific cuts that directly and indirectly impact low‐income communities and Colorado as a whole. The Colorado Center on Law and Policy (CCLP), and its project the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute (COFPI), have provided the following analysis outlining budget items in the Departments of Health Care Policy and Financing, Human Services, Public Health and Environment, Higher Education, and Revenue.

CCLP and COFPI applaud the efforts of the Governor and Legislature over the last 18 months to mitigate the impact of declining revenues on vulnerable populations. While the latest round of cuts will have a drastic impact on some of the most vulnerable and least visible Coloradans, it could have been much, much worse, and it leaves open the possibility of even more devastating cuts in the future. That is why CCLP and COFPI believe that there should be no more cuts, and instead the state should explore various revenue options immediately and into the future to stop the continued erosion of public investment.

Released Sept. 2, 2009

| More

View PDF Document