NEMT riders: Tell us about your complaint or feedback
NEMT riders: Tell us about your complaint or feedback
Miembros que usan Transporte médico no urgente (NEMT): Díganos sobre su queja o comentario
Co-pays eliminated for many services
As of July 1, 2023, Health First Colorado members will not have to pay co-pays for most services, except an $8 co-pay for each non-emergency emergency room visit.
Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) members will continue to have co-pays.
These services do not have co-pays:
- Inpatient hospital services
- Outpatient Hospital Services
- Optometrist Visits
- Podiatrist Visits
- Primary Care Physician and specialist services
- Rural Health Clinic Visit
- Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Visit
- DME/Disposable Supply Services
- Laboratory services
- Radiology services
- Prescription drugs or refill services
These services never have co-pays:
- family planning
- behavioral health services
Examples: therapy and substance use program services
These members never have co-pays:
- Children 18 years old and younger (members age 19 and 20 have co-pays)
- People in the maternity cycle (pregnancy, labor, birth and up to 12 months after delivery)
- members in nursing homes
- American Indian and Alaska Native members
No annual benefit limit for adult dental care
As of July 1, 2023, adult Health First Colorado members seeking dental care will not have an annual benefit limit.
Adult dental benefits used to be capped at $1,500 each year.
What the adult dental benefit covers:
- Annual dental exams and cleanings
- Diagnostic and restorative dental services (such as x-rays and fillings)
- Extractions (tooth pulling)
- Root canals*
- Crowns*
- Partial dentures*
- Complete dentures*
- Periodontal scaling*
* May require pre-approval
Call DentaQuest to help you find a dentist and manage your dental benefits: 855-225-1729 (State Relay: 711)
Global Cyber Security Attack
The MOVEit Global Cyber Attack has impacted the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. As new information is learned, the MOVEit Global Cyber Attack Updates page will be updated.
Renewals: What You Need To Know
Health First Colorado and CHP+ Cover Members for 12 Months After Giving Birth
See the Expanded Maternity and Family Planning Benefits page.
Update Your Information
Have you moved in the past three years? Has your contact information changed?
Don’t miss important updates – update your information today.
Make sure Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) have your current phone number, email and mailing address. It’s important to make sure we can reach you when it’s time to fill out paperwork.
Higher Education Information for Health First Colorado and CHP+ Members
Did you know Health First Colorado and CHP+ members may qualify to get their degree for free? Members can keep their coverage even if they receive grants, scholarships or work study placements. Money received for education does not count as income.
Members can fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at FAFSA.gov or on the myStudentAid mobile app in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Anyone who does not have lawful immigration status or does not qualify for FAFSA can apply for the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA). Please note: students cannot get free money from both FAFSA and CAFSA.
For more information, visit My Colorado Journey.
1095-B Form
Changes to the Health First Colorado and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) 1095-B Form Process
The law has changed, and you no longer need to provide proof of health insurance coverage in order to file your taxes. Therefore, Health First Colorado will not be mailing out 1095-B forms this year. If you want a copy of your 1095-B form, you can request it by PEAK, phone, email, or mail.
Please visit: https://www.cohealthinfo.com/irsform1095b/
Need a Flu Shot?
Members looking for a flu shot should talk to their Primary Care Physician or see our Find a Doctor tool to search for nearby doctor. Be sure to confirm that the location accepts Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program).
Download the Free Health First Colorado App
Use the Health First Colorado mobile app and take control of your coverage! Make an account at Co.gov/PEAK, and then download the free Health First Colorado app.
Use the Health First Colorado app to:
- See if your coverage is active
- Learn about your benefits
- Update your information
- Find providers
- View your member ID card
- Buy-In and CHP+ members can pay premiums and enrollment fees
- Call the Nurse Advice Line, Colorado Crisis Line and Quitline
Download the free Health First Colorado app today from the 
or 
.
Descargue la aplicación gratuita de Health First Colorado
¡Use la aplicación móvil de Health First Colorado para tomar control de su cobertura! Cree una cuenta en CO.gov/PEAK, y luego descargue la aplicación gratuita de Health First Colorado.
Use la aplicación de Health First Colorado para:
- Ver si su cobertura está activa
- Aprender sobre sus beneficios
- Actualizar la información de su caso
- Encontrar proveedores
- Ver su tarjeta de identificación del miembro
- Los miembros inscritos y de CHP+ pueden pagar las cuotas y los cargos de inscripción
- Llame a la Línea de consejos de enfermería, a la línea sobre crisis de Colorado y la Línea para dejar de fumar Quitline
Descargue la aplicación gratuita de Health First Colorado hoy de la o .
Contact Your Provider If Your Child Is Due For Immunizations
Be a public health hero! Contact your provider if your child is due for immunizations.
COVID-19 has disrupted and changed our normal routines, but preventative care is still a priority! Some of our members’ in-person newborn care and well-child visits were canceled. These children may need to catch up on immunizations.
Doctors’ offices are changing how they do business to keep people protected, while making sure they can get the care they need. Contact your provider if your child is due for immunizations or needs to catch up on any they may have missed.
COVID-19 Information for Members
Learn more about your Health First Colorado and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) coverage and COVID-19.
Call the Free Nurse Advice Line
If you are not feeling well but are not sure if you need to go to the doctor, call the Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-283-3221. This free hotline is just for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) members and you can call it 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Help is available in both English and Spanish.
Regional Organizations
Health First Colorado members’ physical and behavioral health care are now managed by regional organizations. Learn more about the Health First Colorado Regional Organizations.
Health First Colorado Co-Pays
Our new Health First Colorado Co-Pays page covers everything members need to know about their co-pays.
New Video: Teen Depression Screening
Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) is your partner in health, including during pregnancy. Learn about the benefits available to members of Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program), including depression screening for teens.
New Video: Keeping Your Information Up To Date
Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) is your partner in health, including during pregnancy. Learn about how easy it is for members of Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) to keep their personal information up to date in our records.
Provider Perspective: Nurse Practitioner Margo Sobocinski
Carin’ Clinic Executive Director and Nurse Practitioner Margo Sobocinski describes how Health First Colorado supports its members and how being a provider has benefited her business.
Get Help Via Live Chat
Health First Colorado members and applicants can now get live assistance via online chat from 12:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at Colorado PEAK.
Member Interview: Health First Colorado
In this interview, University of Colorado at Denver graduate and former Health First Colorado member Anna Nguyen describes how the program helped her maintain her health and allowed her to focus on her studies while she attended college.
Health First Colorado – En Español
Colorado Medicaid ahora se llama Health First Colorado:
New Video: Pregnancy Benefits
Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) is your partner in health, including during pregnancy. Learn about the covered pregnancy services and benefits available to Health First Colorado members. Putting your health first!
New Video: Physical Benefits
Don’t miss our new video about the covered physical benefits and services available to for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) members, including primary care provider and specialist physician visits, prescription drugs, family planning, and more!
Colorado Medicaid Announces Name Change to Health First Colorado
New Name Reflects a Modern Medicaid Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2016
Media Contact
Marc Williams
303-866-3144
DENVER, CO – The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (the Department) announced today that beginning June 27, 2016, the Colorado Medicaid program will become Health First Colorado. The new name reflects the significant improvements that have been made to modernize Colorado’s Medicaid program to better engage members and improve the quality and coordination of care. The Health First Colorado rename has been made possible through grants from the Colorado Health Foundation and Caring for Colorado Foundation.
The name itself – Health First Colorado – aims to convey the Department’s commitment to putting its members’ health first, as well as encourage its 1.3 million members to put their own health first.
“Good health and access to health care are the very foundation of a productive and engaged life,” said Susan E. Birch, MBA, BSN, RN, executive director of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. “Health First Colorado, Colorado’s Medicaid Program, provides a foundation for more than one million people in Colorado and through the new name and logo, we are proudly conveying the critical importance of the services we and our partners provide.”
The foundation grants funded the consumer research and development of the name, creation of the logo and website, production of advertising collateral in English and Spanish for transit and radio along with a contract manager to manage the project from conception through launch with minimal use of taxpayer dollars.
“The name Health First Colorado represents Colorado’s forward-thinking approach to health coverage, and the significant impact Colorado Medicaid has in improving our residents’ health and fueling our economy,” said Colorado Health Foundation President and CEO Karen McNeil-Miller. “We are proud to support the launch of Health First Colorado and our shared goal of ensuring that all Coloradans are enrolled in stable, affordable and adequate coverage.”
“We have a long-standing commitment to improve access to health care for underserved populations in Colorado,” said Chris Wiant, President and CEO of the Caring for Colorado Foundation. “The Health First Colorado launch provides our state the opportunity to expand health insurance coverage and improve access to care. I’m hopeful that the Health First Colorado launch will result in less uninsured Coloradans and will increase participants’ knowledge about their health and health insurance.”
While the name and look of Colorado Medicaid are changing, member eligibility, benefits, and providers will remain the same. The name change is one example of ongoing efforts to modernize the Medicaid program to be a more person-centered health insurer. Examples of that ongoing work include:
- Focus on improving care coordination through the Accountable Care Collaborative,
- Formation of a Member Advisory Council that provides input to improve member communications and engagement,
- PEAKHealth mobile app to allow members to more efficiently access benefit information, and
- Recently added benefits such as dental coverage and mail order prescriptions.
With the rename, Colorado becomes the twentieth state to update its public insurance program name to be more consumer friendly, to minimize confusion with the Medicare program and to help reduce stigma that can sometimes be associated with Medicaid. Oklahoma renamed its program to SoonerCare more than two decades ago and beginning July 1st, Louisiana is renaming its program to Healthy Louisiana.
Over the coming months Coloradans will see and hear more about Health First Colorado through grant-funded advertising across digital platforms, transit and radio. For more information on finding a doctor, benefits, how to apply and more, please visit www.HealthFirstColorado.com.
About the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
The Department administers Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) and Child Health Plan Plus as well as a variety of other programs for low income Coloradans who qualify. For more information about the Department, visit Colorado.gov/HCPF.
About the Colorado Health Foundation
The Colorado Health Foundation works to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation by ensuring that all Colorado kids are fit and healthy and that all Coloradans achieve stable, affordable and adequate health coverage to improve their health with support from a network of primary health care and community services. To advance our mission, the Foundation engages the community through grant making, public policy and advocacy, private sector engagement, strategic communications, evaluation for learning and assessment and by operating primary care residency training programs. For more information, please visit www.ColoradoHealth.org.
About the Caring for Colorado Foundation
Caring for Colorado, together with our partners, is committed to improving health systems, focusing on population health and prevention and working to solve the most pressing health needs of vulnerable and underserved populations in the state. The foundation serves as a catalyst, building consensus and coalitions to create sustainable health system improvements. For more information please visit www.caringforcolorado.org.
Feeling sick? Call the Nurse Advice Line
The Health First Colorado Nurse Advice Line provides Health First Colorado members free around-the-clock access to medical information and advice in both English and Spanish by calling 800-283-3221.
- Available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Nurses will answer your medical questions, provide care advice and help you determine if you should be see a doctor right away.
- Get help with medical conditions, such as diabetes or asthma.
- Get advice on the type of doctor that may be right for your medical condition.
