skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, May 9, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump signals he is open to cutting China tariffs to 80% ahead of trade negotiations; Pope Leo XIV calls Church 'a beacon to illuminate dark nights' in first mass; Medicaid cuts risk health care access for VA military families; Does climate change 'perception gap' silence action in Mississippi? 'Forever families' needed for PA children in foster care.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A judge orders certification of the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court race, Wisconsin Democrats want congressional maps redrawn, and the interim U.S. Attorney for District of Columbia loses the job over his support for January 6th rioters.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Volunteers with AmeriCorps are devastated by cuts to the 30-year-old program, Head Start has dodged elimination but cuts are likely, moms are the most vulnerable when extreme weather hits, and bullfrogs await their 15-minutes of fame in rural California.

CO community health centers saved $17.3 million in Medicare dollars

play audio
Play

Thursday, January 9, 2025   

The Community Health Provider Alliance improved health care quality and saved $17.3 million in taxpayer money that would have been paid out by Medicare in 2023.

Brandi Apodaca, chief operating officer with Community Health Provider Alliance, said half of the money saved will go to support community health centers that treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay. That's good news for clinics struggling with a steep increase in uncompensated care after more than half a million Coloradans were dropped from health insurance rolls.

"As Medicaid dollars have decreased to the community health centers due to the Medicaid unwind, these dollars are coming at a critical time to really support the integrated work that community health centers are doing," she said.

Medicaid coverage was automatically maintained during the COVID public health emergency, but that ended in the spring of 2023. Nearly half of enrolled Coloradans, including thousands who still qualified for coverage, lost their health insurance.

Over the past five years, the alliance has helped save $70 million for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Apodaca said improving the quality of care - for example, by bringing more people in for their annual wellness visits - creates better health outcomes for patients, and keeps costs down by reducing expensive emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

"By doing things like managing chronic conditions and getting engaged into primary care - which should be your number one source of health care - we're going to control costs," she continued.

Nationally, the Medicare Shared Savings Program saved a record $5.2 billion in 2023. Program participants get to keep a portion of those savings. Apodaca says in Colorado, the money will help ensure that community health centers can continue to deliver high-quality coordinated health care.

"They not only provide physical health, they are also integrated with dental and behavioral health. So when you show up at a community health center, we're going to be able to provide services for all of your health care needs," she concluded.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The California Parent and Youth Helpline has helped almost 113,000 people since its inception in 2020. (kieferpix/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The California Parent and Youth Helpline turns five years old today - just in time for a brand new study that confirms its effectiveness. The study…


Environment

play sound

A Michigan group is speaking out after a top congressional leader's comment that lawmakers will most likely scrap the $7,500 federal tax credit for bu…

Environment

play sound

The Mississippi River is the drinking water source for 20 million people and its starting point in northern Minnesota has new protections following co…


The National Wildlife Federation said managed grazing is one of the top conservation practices used by South Dakota farmers and ranchers. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A new mapping tool shows South Dakota is a big player on the farm conservation scene. The online feature coincides with a new poll, revealing most …

Social Issues

play sound

Sunday is Mother's Day, and what moms may need most is a day off. Research shows that inequities persist in the amount of time moms and dads spend …

Nevadans could save 16% on their utility bills by 2035 by pursuing cost-saving energy-efficiency measures, according to the National Renewable Energy Lab. (Scott Habermann/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Nevada clean-energy proponents have launched a new website to help connect Nevadans to energy and cost-saving programs. One of the nonprofits behind …

Social Issues

play sound

Ahead of Mother's Day, one Kentucky middle-school student has received recognition for honoring his grandmother in a "Grandparent of the Year" essay …

Environment

play sound

Nonprofits, businesses, organizers and leaders have signed a letter calling for more climate solutions in Arizona and around the country. They claim …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021