Seeking Spending Cuts, GOP Lawmakers Target a Tax Hospitals Love To Pay

On the eastern plains of Colorado, in a county of less than 6,000 people, Lincoln Health runs the only hospital within a 75- minute drive. The taxes Lincoln pays help cover the state’ s Medicaid costs and— because the federal government matches a portion of what states spend on Medicaid— enable Colorado to claim more federal money. The tax proceeds also have helped…