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

Historic Legislative Session for Health Policy 

Behavioral Health. Twenty bills touched behavioral health and substance use, many memorializing Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force recommendations including the investment of $450 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. HB 22-1278 creates the Behavioral Health Administration, a landmark achievement that will help coordinate the efforts across state agencies to transform the behavioral health system, achieve shared goals and pursue a shared vision that puts Coloradans first.  

Supporting Workforce, Older Adults & Pandemic Management. Several bills will help Colorado move from pandemic responsiveness to endemic management and pandemic readiness. They include measures focused on vaccinating, testing and treating through hospital system owned primary care providers as well as hospital staffing improvements (HB 22-1401); targeted funding to support nursing homes (HB 22-1247); and higher base wages for nursing home workers (HB 22-1333) as well as home and community-based direct care workers (HB22-1188). Also, the Department is thrilled at the passage of SB 22-203, which creates a more efficient, effective and transparent oversight structure for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) - an all-inclusive benefit for older adults who need long-term services and supports. 

Affordability. As stated by Gov. Polis, this was a landmark legislative session for saving people money on health care. HB 22-1285 increases hospital price transparency, predicted to drive down outlier prices impacting communities. Additionally, HB 22-1370 will pass along drug manufacturer rebates to employers and consumers – valued at more than 16% of overall drug costs for those not sharing in rebates now. This bill represented one of the policy recommendations in the Department’s 2021 Reducing Prescription Drug Costs in Colorado Report. Also, SB 22-200 provides funding for rural hospitals to invest in affordability solutions that help reduce rural hospital and clinic prices. Finally, the long bill supported the Department’s expansion of value-based payment models, designed to improve quality, reduce disparities and drive affordability across primary care, maternity care, prescription drugs and specialty care. 

Coverage. Significant progress was made on expanding health coverage. Thanks to HB 22-1289, more children and pregnant people will be eligible for health coverage through a new program the Department will administer to reduce the uninsured rate. This bill also enables HCPF to move eligible individuals from Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) to Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) at the end of the public health emergency without member action by eliminating the annual CHP+ enrollment fee. SB 22-081 also passed, supporting coverage transitions and improving awareness of financial assistance that makes coverage more affordable to help keep Coloradans covered. 

Thank you for your collaboration on advancing such important policies. We appreciate the hard work, passion and expertise of our elected officials, advocates, providers and stakeholders. For more information, please visit our Legislator Resource Center. 

Please register to join Health Care Policy & Financing leaders for a virtual webinar on July 19 from 9-11 a.m. This event will share what we accomplished together last year, address priorities for next fiscal year, and invite stakeholder feedback and comments

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

The public health emergency (PHE) end date has once again been extended from April 16, 2022, to July 15, 2022. To answer questions we have received on this topic, this policy memo will clarify guidance and rules related to eligibility for COVID-19 only Medicaid eligibility category for uninsured individuals.

The purpose of this memo is to provide county departments of social/human services, Medical Assistance (MA) sites, and Eligibility Application Partner (EAP) sites with general information about Emergency Medicaid provided through Health First Colorado. Additionally, this memo outlines the eligibility criteria for Emergency Medicaid, how people can submit their applications, as well as a brief explanation of covered emergency services. This guidance is intended for all teams who are working in-person, online or over the phone. Please share this memo with anyone who works with Health First Colorado applicants and members.

The purpose of this Policy Memo is to inform eligibility sites of the Reproductive Health Care services adopted through Senate Bill 21-009. This memo includes guidance for all Medical Assistance eligibility categories. Please share this memo with all eligibility staff, supervisors, and outside agencies, as appropriate.

This memo provides policy guidance for authorized individuals/entities, such as county departments of social/human services, Medical Assistance (MA) sites, Eligibility Application Partner (EAP) sites, and anyone who processes Medical Assistance eligibility applications about the new Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Limited Family Planning Services Medical Assistance program as required by Senate Bill 21-025.

The purpose of this Policy Memo is to inform eligibility sites of the 12 months postpartum expansion eligibility rules for the Medicaid 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.

The purpose of this Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services of grant funding available through the FY 2022-23 County Grant Program.

Questions regarding this communication may be directed to the Eligibility Inbox 

For more information, visit the eConsult Platform webpage or email questions to The eConsult Inbox.

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.

The goal of the project is to verify residency of members identified in the Medical Assistance PARIS Interstate Match report prior to the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ending, to determine:

This activity will decrease the number of cases required to go through the renewal process when the PHE ends. It will also reduce expenditures being erroneously paid for non-residents. 

Details: This project includes updates to the PARIS cases in the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) to help determine residency prior to the PHE ending and help CBMS users take action as necessary. 

Please Note:

For more information, contact The Medicaid Eligibility Inbox

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) is releasing this communication to notify Eligibility Sites that the Renewal Revamp Workbook has been updated to add information on Transitional Medical Assistance (MA) Policy.

Members receiving Transitional Medical Assistance must receive 12 full months of coverage, even if other members within the household have a different renewal due date.

A member on Transitional Medical Assistance will go through the Ex-Parte process, which

starts three months prior to the renewal due date.

Please view the changes on page 9 in the Renewal Revamp Workbook.

If you have any questions regarding this communication may be directed to

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide our community partners, stakeholders, and advocates with messaging and resources to encourage Health First Colorado and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) members to update their contact information. This toolkit is particularly important to prepare members for upcoming updates to the renewal process for Health First Colorado.

This toolkit was a collaborative effort among the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing and advocates, with review and input from Health First Colorado and CHP+ members. Partners using this toolkit may modify the language to fit their specific communication vehicles; however, the messaging in these resources should remain the same to ensure consistency.

Please note that highlighted text indicates areas where partner organizations should insert their organization’s name and information if they provide enrollment assistance. Contact information for a partner organization that could help with enrollment can also be inserted. Please delete these lines if they do not apply to your organization.

English and Spanish versions of all messaging and graphics are available.

Thank you for helping us spread the word!

As of July 1, 2022, CBMS will be updated to allow no maximum age limit for Buy-In Program for Working Adults with Disabilities (WAwD).

Individuals must still meet all eligibility qualifications for the program. Working individuals must have a disability determination through Social Security or the state disability determination vendor ARG. Individuals who are 65 and older who do not have a disability determination must submit a disability application to ARG.

To see more information, please view the resources below.

Resources:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to help build awareness about the Affordable Connectivity Program, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program. The new long-term benefit will help to lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households struggling to afford internet service.

A household is eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria outlined.

For more information and full details, visit https://www.fcc.gov/acp or call 877-384-2575. Check out the Consumer Outreach Toolkit at Affordableconnectivity.gov.

Read more about the ACP in the recent White House Fact Sheet: Whitehouse.gov

The recording and slide deck for the County Incentives Support Call on June 21, 2022 are posted on the County Administration webpage. 

FY 2021-22 County Grants Year End Report Out Project Summaries, meeting recording and county presentations are available on County Administration webpage. 

FY 2021-22 Grant Close Out Reminders: All expenditures associated with the approved grant proposal must occur on or before June 30, 2022; expenditures should be entered in CFMS no later than July 8, 2022. Expenses submitted after this date will not be reimbursed. All Final Project Deliverables must be submitted to the Department no later than close of business July 15, 2022. Please refer to your application’s Conditions of Funding and executed IGGA for close out. 

PHE Retention Funding: All expenditures associated with the approved targeted grant must occur on or before June 30, 2022. If your county was funded, please refer to your Notice of Determination for additional information and CFMS code for eligible expenditures. 

Timeliness for all Medical Assistance applications was measured at 97.74%.

Timeliness for all Medical Assistance redeterminations was measured at 99.03%.