Seth Klamann is a statehouse reporter at the Denver Post, covering policy, state government and the legislature. He previously worked for the Gazette, the Casper Star-Tribune and the Omaha World-Herald. He's a graduate of the University of Missouri and a proud Kansas City native.
Kim Bimestefer, the longtime head of the Colorado agency that oversees Medicaid, will resign next week, Gov. Jared Polis’ office announced Monday., or HCPF, since January 2018, when she took the job under then-Gov.
John Hickenlooper. The agency’s longest-serving leader, she is set to leave the role on April 10. Kim Bimestefer, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, in a handout photo. She led the agency through the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic and as it weathered recent controversies, including program overpayments and allegations of massive fraud in a transportation program. “I have had the privilege of advancing systems that help Coloradans — often in the most difficult times in their lives — get the care and support they need to rise and thrive,” Bimestefer said in a statement. “Working alongside HCPF leaders, staff and stakeholders, we have navigated one unprecedented challenge after another for over eight years to protect the state’s most vulnerable, with this current chapter proving to be incredibly difficult.”Bimestefer’s time overseeing HCPF included the entirety of the pandemic, which hit the U.S. in 2020 and saw the rapid expansion of Medicaid to include a broader swath of the population. The program has been expanded in other ways at the direction of lawmakers, and it has weathered similar rapid increases that plagued other Medicaid programs nationwide. She also oversaw the pandemic “unwind” in the years since, as temporary eligibility expansions expired. “In her tenure, Colorado has taken major steps to increase price transparency, reduce hospital and prescription drug costs, and hold the health care industry accountable,” Polis said in a statement. “Her 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.” At a signing ceremony for an unrelated bill on Monday afternoon, Polis did not take questions from reporters afterward. Bimestefer’s departure comes as cash-strapped lawmakers grapple with a yawning hole in the state budget that’s been partially fueled by increases in Medicaid spending. Lawmakers this year are discussing how to cut Medicaid to make up for the gap, and they’ve told reporters that they want a deeper analysis of how Medicaid — and HCPF — is operated.Renaming of César Chávez Day, 3D-printed gun ban, data center regs in the Colorado legislature this weekColorado’s budget deficit jumps to $1.5 billion under new forecast Colorado lawmakers passed a housing bill. They’re weighing restrictions on ICE. Now here comes the budget.potentially overpaying $75 million for autism service providers , and Republican lawmakers in Congress sent HCPF a letter earlier this month seeking more information about how it was limiting fraud and wasteful spending. Prior to joining HCPF, Bimestefer ran her own consulting business and worked for Cigna for more than 15 years, most recently as president of the insurance company’s Mountain States division, according toDenver’s $1 billion road overhaul would cut space for cars, boost public transit. Critics say it will make traffic worse. Denver's $1 billion road overhaul would cut space for cars, boost public transit. Critics say it will make traffic worse.Colorado No Kings protests draw crowds across Denver, stateDenver is planning major road remodeling projects. Here's where some of them are happening.2 children missing from Denver last seen Monday
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