AURORA - At the Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, most of the young patients receive medical care even though their parents don't have health insurance. The non-profit full-service pediatric clinic runs thanks to grants, private donations and the Medicaid reimbursements it gets from the state.
But for the next three weeks, the clinic won't be receiving the usual $50,000 it gets in weekly Medicaid reimbursements from the state. The payments are being delayed until next month as a budget-balancing measure that pushed a total of $38 million in Medicaid reimbursements from the current fiscal year to Fiscal Year 2010-11, which begins July 1.
"We're very sympathetic and we understand that every budgetary decision that gets made in a recessionary climate has an impact," said Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter. "In fairness, this is a delayed payment not a reduced or cancelled payment."
Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics expects to receive the reimbursements for late June some time in early July, and its founder, Dr. Larry Wolk, plans to dip into grant money and reserves to keep the clinic open.
"The state prepared us that they were going to punch us several months ago; and as much as you do to prepare for that punch, it still hurts," Wolk said.
But for the next three weeks, the clinic won't be receiving the usual $50,000 it gets in weekly Medicaid reimbursements from the state. The payments are being delayed until next month as a budget-balancing measure that pushed a total of $38 million in Medicaid reimbursements from the current fiscal year to Fiscal Year 2010-11, which begins July 1.
"We're very sympathetic and we understand that every budgetary decision that gets made in a recessionary climate has an impact," said Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter. "In fairness, this is a delayed payment not a reduced or cancelled payment."
Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics expects to receive the reimbursements for late June some time in early July, and its founder, Dr. Larry Wolk, plans to dip into grant money and reserves to keep the clinic open.
"The state prepared us that they were going to punch us several months ago; and as much as you do to prepare for that punch, it still hurts," Wolk said.
