News and notes from Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation.
Public Health Emergency To End May 11
Mar-20-2023
Events
Dear Friend of Imagine!,
As you may be aware, in January 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared a public health emergency (PHE) in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. During this time, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) maintained continuous health care coverage for members enrolled in Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program). Congress recently passed a bill that will end this continuous coverage requirement in Spring 2023. This will allow states to begin normal Medicaid renewal processes. Colorado will take 12-14 months to renew members based on their annual renewal date.
Recently, the Biden Administration announced their intention to end the PHE on May 11, 2023.
You are strongly encouraged to take action today to make sure that Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) have your current phone number, email, and mailing address. This is vital to ensure that you can receive updated and current information about your Health First Colorado or CHP+ coverage.
- You can update your information in one of these ways:
- Visit Colorado.gov/PEAK.
- Use the Health First Colorado app on your phone. This free app is for Health First Colorado and CHP+ members.
- CHP+ members can call 800-359-1991 (State Relay: 711).
- Contact your county department of human services
- Members can find out their renewal dates and access more information at hfcgo.com/renewals
Resources
- HCPF’s Public Health Emergency Planning page is a good place to check for further updates and information about the PHE wind-down.
- HCPF created videos about various renewal processes to support you with this process. These are available in English and Spanish.
Lastly, with the end of the PHE, we can anticipate the temporary and special flexibilities that were put in place during the PHE will end in November 2023. Some of these flexibilities include:
- Leniency surrounding in person monitoring and completion of the 100.2.
- The allowance for legally responsible persons to provide waiver services.
As Imagine! becomes aware of further changes, we will be in touch.
