DENVER — 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.
Adults ages 19 to 64 will need to prove they are working or have a valid reason not to work.
In Colorado, that is 377,000 of the 1.1 Million Health First Colorado members, which is the state's medicaid program.
They will also need to renew their coverage every six months, instead of every year.
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.
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).
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is sending texts, emails and letters to make sure those affected do not lose coverage.
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.
"The 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're already meeting that work requirement, or maybe you're in a circumstance where you have a medical diagnosis or you're a caregiver, and you don't even have to meet the work requirement," Coulter said.
Coulter said some recipients may already qualify but have not yet submitted or updated the necessary information to the state through their PEAK accounts.
"Maybe they're working and they're just not automatically submitting their information to us. They could start doing that right now, or maybe they're not working and they need to gather documentation to show that they've been volunteering or that they're going to school, at least part-time or a combination of those activities," Coulter said.
Of that 377,00 the state anticipates that only about 175,000 people need to actually do something to keep their coverage.
Members can use the Health First Colorado Work Requirements Screener tool to find out if the requirements may apply to them or if they may be exempt.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.