November 2024

The reasons for Colorado’s budget crises are multifold. Yet, an undeniably significant portion of our challenges stem from growing Medicaid costs, particularly those attributable to a rapidly growing population of aging Coloradans.

Colorado voters favored increased spending, increased taxes, and exempting local tax revenue from TABOR, showing an overall readiness to move toward funding community priorities like education, transportation, child care, health care, and other crucial programs.

Current public funding levels fall significantly short in adequately supporting caregivers of older adults in Colorado. Investing in both paid and unpaid care will support older adults in need of care and support those who dedicate themselves to caregiving, creating a more sustainable and effective care ecosystem.

The Bell has developed a Home Care Cost Model for older adults, an important tool for researchers, advocates, and decision makers, as they strive to understand the implications of policy choices on the care economy, its workers, and the older Coloradans who rely upon it.