Health care The Denver Post: Finding help for high-cost patients key to trimming health care tab The sickest 1 percent of patients spend nearly 30 percent of a health system's money. The pattern holds true even in private insurance systems. A recent compilation by the national benefits firm Milliman confirmed that ratio and its startling counterpart: The healthiest 90 percent of a system's patients cost only slightly more to treat than that ill 1 percent. The Denver Post: CU Hospital, Poudre Valley Health plan joint nonprofit The University of Colorado Hospital at the Anschutz Medical Campus and the Poudre Valley Health System are exploring joining forces to create a nonprofit health care system. Also: Aurora Sentinel: University of Colorado Hospital inks operating pact with Poudre Valley Health System Fiscal policy Public News Service: Colorado Budget: Getting Better, Slowly Good news and bad news can be found in the latest Colorado state budget projections. Editor's note: Including comment from Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute Deputy Project Director Kathy White. The Denver Post: Denver mayor's fiscal road map bangs out budget savings Savings of $34 million were identified in areas such as abolishing more than 90 city positions, canceling police-recruit classes next year and redeploying officers to patrol areas. In addition, reductions to security, janitorial and insurance costs are slated. Denver Post commentary: Ditmer: Tax cuts for casinos hurt state fund Some might call it a robbery. The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission is cutting tax rates 5 percent for casinos, thus deleting millions of dollars that voters believed would go to statewide historic preservation projects and community colleges. Jobs and economic security The Denver Post: Colorado gains 11,000 jobs in first five months of 2011 Economists warned that the trend isn't yet strong enough to uncork the champagne. Whether the growth continues or picks up steam depends heavily on the national economic recovery, which has slowed to a near standstill in recent months, and on sometimes fickle consumer confidence. But there are encouraging signs in the numbers, particularly in retail, professional services and manufacturing. Also: Denver Business Journal: Denver a better-than-average place for young adults to find work Also: Associated Press via Greeley Tribune: Economists say Colorado finally creating more jobs |