This Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) newsletter is designed to inform county directors, management and staff about high-impact updates, important changes, county performance, new guidance, and program changes.

The End of the Continuous Coverage Requirement

Thank you for your continued partnership in helping Keep Coloradans Covered as the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and continuous coverage provision ended, and all states, including Colorado, must return to normal eligibility and enrollment operations. We are now acting on Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) program renewals for the first time since March of 2020. 

A special thank you to counties helping us renew those who continue to qualify for our safety net health coverage programs and connect those who no longer qualify for our programs to affordable, alternative coverage.

PHE Unwinding Reporting

HCPF will be reporting its progress on “unwinding” the continuous coverage requirement to the federal government. HCPF will link these reports on the Continuous Coverage Unwind Data Reporting page and include links to this information in our monthly COVID-19 newsletter.

The information reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is point in time data about renewals as required by federal reporting and does not include all the new members coming into the program or those who will take action during the 90-day reconsideration period. Members can resume coverage if they still qualify by returning their renewal packet and any missing information to their county for processing within 90 days of losing coverage. Based on pre-pandemic information, on average, about half of the members who had lost eligibility were deemed eligible for Medicaid again within two years.

FAQs about unwinding reporting is in the PHE Resource Center.

How can you help support members during the PHE unwinding process?

HCPF has developed extensive partner toolkits regarding the end of the continuous coverage requirement. Update Your Address, Understanding the Renewal Process and Take Action on Your Renewal toolkits all include resources to help members take action to keep their coverage. A new joint webpage KeepCOCovered.com includes partner resources and information for those who may need to transition to other health coverage. Flyers have recently been developed for Colorado employers to distribute to their employees to help spread the word.  

You can help us raise member awareness about the renewal process by sharing the messaging in our toolkits. The materials in the toolkits identify key actions for members to take: updating contact information, taking action when a renewal is due, and seeking help with renewals at community or county resources when they need it. Flyers, social media messaging and graphics, website content, and other outreach tools are in our PHE Planning Resource Center. Partners can also educate themselves and their staff on the basics of the renewal process to assist members who may need help. See our Renewal Education toolkit. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the end of the continuous coverage requirement and return to regular renewal processes are available in the PHE Planning Resource Center. Members with questions about the renewal process can learn more by visiting Health First Colorado’s renewal webpage available in English and Spanish.

Partner Webinars

HCPF will be hosting quarterly informational sessions about the end of the Continuous Coverage Requirement and the COVID-19 public health emergency. These webinars are geared toward community partners such as advocacy organizations, providers, and community organizations who may provide other assistance to Health First Colorado or CHP+ members (housing, social services, etc). 

The presentation and recording from the July 26, 2023, PHE Unwinding webinar are posted in the PHE Resource Center.

Next Webinar Information

When: Oct. 25, 2023, 1 - 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time

Register in advance for this webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We would like your feedback on the format of future webinars to ensure they are productive for all. Please take a moment to take this survey to inform the structure of future webinars.

Scammer Alert

Scammers are targeting Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) members through text messages and phone calls. They are telling members they must pay to keep or renew their health coverage. Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) never asks members or applicants for money, bank account or credit card information, complete social security numbers, or other financial information through text or over the phone. HCPF may contact members to ask them to update their address and contact information. Members can do this at any time online through PEAK and are not required to give this information over the phone. Please help us alert members of potential scams by sharing this important message. And report any suspected scam activity to the Attorney General Consumer Protection Unit.

Register now for HCPF Annual Stakeholder Webinar

Please register to join Health Care Policy & Financing leaders for a webinar on Aug. 8 from 9-11 a.m. This event will share what we accomplished together last year, address priorities for this fiscal year, and invite stakeholder feedback and comments.

Registration and other materials will be posted on our website.

All memos and their attachments are on the Memo Series website.

HCPF PM 23-005

Postpartum Medical Assistance Expansion to 12 Months

The purpose of this Policy Memo is to inform eligibility sites of the 12 months postpartum expansion eligibility rules for the Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) programs. This memo includes guidance for all Medical Assistance eligibility categories. Please share this memo with all eligibility staff, supervisors, and outside agencies, as appropriate. 

HCPF IM 23-018

FY 2023-24 County Administration Allocations

The purpose of this Informational Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services departments (counties) of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing’s FY 2023-24 County Administration Allocation based on enhanced and non-enhanced Medicaid administration funding split.

HCPF IM 23-017

FY 2023-24 County Grant Program Competitive Applications

The purpose of this Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services of grant funding available through the FY 2023-24 County Grant Program. 

Processing Incarcerated Applications

As a reminder, Medicaid applications must be processed regardless of incarceration. Applications should be approved and placed into incarcerated status if the individual is otherwise eligible and incarcerated at the time of the determination. Please see below where this is referenced in rule: 

8.100.3.G.1.b.ii. Inmates who are incarcerated in a correctional institution such as a city, county, state or federal prison may be enrolled, if eligible, with benefits limited to an inpatient stay of 24 hours or longer in a medical institution.

Thank you for your support in ensuring Coloradans have timely access to their benefits.

SDD’s New and Improved Website: Training.Colorado.gov

The Staff Development Division (SDD) is excited to announce that Training.Colorado.gov, the SDD website, is live! 

Our website was redesigned to better serve all our learners. With a new and improved responsive layout and user-friendly navigation, the new website will be more efficient to keep updated with pertinent content and easier for visitors to navigate.

What Changed: Effective July 24, users will find a layout that has been modernized with a responsive design that works on any size device and embraces better accessibility with a user-friendly navigation menu.

Training material in the Document Library has been reorganized with added categories and users will be able to find desk aids, action guides, and process manuals more efficiently (i.e., by HLPG or by PBT topic). Additionally, users will find clarification of CBMS training requirements.

Required Action: With these exciting updates, the new URL has changed to Training.Colorado.gov. Users who have bookmarked Traincolorado.com will still be routed to the correct website and will be able to access all of the same materials/information as before. However, we strongly encourage you to update your bookmarks to Training.Colorado.gov for the best experience when navigating to the website.

Contact: For questions regarding this email, or feedback on the new website, please email the Staff Development Division at SOC Staff Development.

HCPF - New COVID-19 Unwind Resources

HCPF is releasing this communication to inform eligibility sites of two new COVID-19 unwind resources.

Details:

1. The End of Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 and Returning to Normal Operation memo, on the 2023 memo series webpage. 

1. A COVID-19 unwind section has been added to the Eligibility and Resource HCPF webpage under the FAQs and Training section, which includes the following:

• The COVID-19 Unwind Educational Session held on Feb.15, 2023 
• The webinar recordings  
• The presentation materials
• COVID-19 Unwind FAQs
• COVID-19 Unwind MA Renewal Ex-Parte Flowchart Desk Aid

Questions regarding this communication may be directed to: hcpf_medicaid.eligibility@state.co.us.

County Contact Lists

Thank you for continuing to submit updates to your contacts with us. For any additions throughout 2023, you or any staff member may complete this webform. This form does not require a Google account and accepts multiple submissions.

For staff removal from a contact list, please continue to use our County Relations Webform with the ticket type set to "County Communications."

Do you need help? Do you have a question? Does a case need to be escalated? There are two ways you can contact the HCPF County Relations team.

1. County Relations Web Form. Try this method first. It allows you to enter details to help us resolve your issues.
2. County Relations Email. You can still email us at hcpf_countyrelations@state.co.us. Your email to us will automatically create a service ticket with your email included. We cannot open encrypted messages within our ticketing system.

County Grants

The applications for the Competitive grant have been received and the applicants have been interviewed. Status update emails were sent out Monday, July 31, 2023, to the counties whose grant applications have been approved and that will be receiving the grant funding. The formal Notice of Determination will be sent out as soon as the Conditions of Funding and other internal finalization processes are completed; tentative timeline for counties to receive their individual notices of determination will be 10 days.   

HCPF Contacts & Resources

Staff Development Center (SDC) Homepage

CO.Learn/Learning Management System Login

Premiums, Expenditures, Caseload Reports