DENVER \u2014 Tens of thousands of people on Medicaid in Colorado will need to meet new requirements to keep their health care coverage starting in January 2027.<\/p>\n
Adults ages 19 to 64 will need to prove they are working or have a valid reason not to work. <\/p>\n
In Colorado, that is 377,000 of the 1.1 Million Health First Colorado members, which is the state\u2019s medicaid program. <\/p>\n
They will also need to renew their coverage every six months, instead of every year.<\/p>\n
These requirements apply to adults earning up to 133% of the federal poverty level, which is up to $20,815 per year for a single individual or $42,760 per year for a family of four.<\/p>\n
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New Federal Medicaid Income rules applying to those earning up to 133% of the Federal Poverty level, which is up to $20,815 per year for a single individual or $42,760 per year for a family of four.(Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF))<\/p>\n
Covered adults must complete 80 hours per month of work, school, or volunteering, or earn at least $580 a month from a job (or a mix of these).<\/p>\n
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is sending texts, emails and letters to make sure those affected do not lose coverage.<\/p>\n
Natalie Coulter, director of Communications for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, said the first step for Medicaid recipients is to find out whether the new rules apply to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important things that people can do to prepare is A: find out if it applies to you. B: if it does, do you have the necessary documentation that you need to show that you\u2019re already meeting that work requirement, or maybe you\u2019re in a circumstance where you have a medical diagnosis or you\u2019re a caregiver, and you don\u2019t even have to meet the work requirement,\u201d Coulter said.<\/p>\n
Coulter said some recipients may already qualify but have not yet submitted or updated the necessary information to the state through their PEAK accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they\u2019re working and they\u2019re just not automatically submitting their information to us. They could start doing that right now, or maybe they\u2019re not working and they need to gather documentation to show that they\u2019ve been volunteering or that they\u2019re going to school, at least part-time or a combination of those activities,\u201d Coulter said.<\/p>\n
Of that 377,00 the state anticipates that only about 175,000 people need to actually do something to keep their coverage.<\/p>\n