The longtime head of the reached a nearly $40,000 settlement with the state over disputed wages days before she announced her resignation in the face of a legislative no-confidence vote.
Kim Bimestefer announced March 30 that she planned to resign April 10 as executive director of the state agency that oversees Medicaid, a job she had held since 2018.
At the time, state Sen. Kyle Mullica, a Thornton Democrat, said 28 out of 35 senators had signed onto a no-confidence resolution, which he would have introduced if Bimestefer hadn’t resigned.
Lawmakers had been increasingly vocal in their criticisms in recent years of the department’s increasing budget and of mistakes, such as overpaying providers to transport Medicaid members to their appointments in passenger vehicles.
Bimestefer signed the seven-page settlement, which The Denver Post obtained through an open records request, on March 27.
The agreement waived her right to sue for any conduct by other state officials, including age discrimination. She could still file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Colorado Civil Rights Division, but couldn’t receive any money even if those bodies found evidence of discrimination.
The document also said she would receive $38,117 in “disputed wages,” but didn’t specify why they were in dispute.
No one responded to a message left at a number listed to someone with Bimestefer’s name. The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing declined to comment, while Gov. Jared Polis released a statement thanking Bimestefer for her work.
“Kim’s leadership helped HCPF save Coloradans money on health care and expand access. During her tenure, Colorado took major steps to increase price transparency, reduce hospital and prescription drug costs, and hold the health care industry accountable. I wish Kim the very best in the next chapter of her career, and am thankful for her leadership these past few years,” the statement said.
A public records request showed the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing hadn’t paid any other settlements to former employees since at least 2024.
The , Gretchen Hammer, was the department’s Medicaid director from 2015 to 2018. Bimestefer took the top job at the beginning of Polis’ first term, making her the department’s longest-serving executive director.
Denver Post staff writer Sam Tabachnik contributed to this report.
