Colorado Scaling Back Medicaid Coverage

DENVER (AP) - Colorado is cutting back on Medicaid coverage for poor adults without children because the estimated number of people has tripled.

State program manager Joanne Zahora said the program was based on 2-year-old estimates.

The state originally estimated there would be 49,200 people eligible for the program at a cost of about $200 million a year. That number has climbed to 143,000 people, with an estimated cost $1.7 billion.

According to the Denver Post, cutting back the program to 49,000 childless adults who qualify would still cost $770 million.

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