Colorado’s budget woes and the ballooning costs of Medicaid

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The six lawmakers tasked with writing Colorado’s budget have an excruciating job this year — they must find about $1.5 billion in savings to keep the budget in balance, and understand that many of their cuts will have direct, human consequences. That’s because the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to low-income Coloradans, accounts for a significant part of Colorado’s budget, and costs have ballooned in recent years. CPR’s Bente Birkeland , The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul and The Denver Post’s Seth Klamann discuss what’s driving rising Medicaid costs for the state, where lawmakers are looking for savings and what this all means for Colorado residents. Catch up on the…