Date: January 16, 2026

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Type of Meeting: Virtual

Members Present: 3 out of 3 members were present

HCPF Staff Present: Antoinette Taranto, Chief Customer Officer; Thessica Covato, Member Engagement Specialist; Kyra Acuna, Stakeholder Engagement Advisor

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Meeting Objectives

  • Continue to build understanding and commitment for person- and family-centeredness.
  • Provide opportunities for collaboration between the Department and members with the goal of improving member experience.
  • Develop clear, actionable recommendations for the Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC).
  • Strengthen alumni council collaboration by preparing for the December recommendation presentation.

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest

All members confirmed no conflicts of interest.

Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC) Update

Kyra Acuna joined to hear the council members’ thoughts about their presentation and discussion of the renewal recommendation presented in December 2025.

  • All members expressed positive feedback about the presentation and discussion of the renewal recommendations.
  • One member noted that the level of MCAC discussion during the first presentation was a positive indication that future discussions will be even more in-depth and may lead to further development of the recommendations. Staff introduced the possibility of keeping past member recommendations on MCAC agendas for future meetings, allowing members to continue refining the ideas, discussing them with colleagues, and bringing back additional feedback and suggestions.
  • Another member stated that they felt that it was important to report back to MEAC on the MCAC discussion. Staff agreed with that idea and said that they would work to find time in the MEAC agenda for this discussion, but that it may not always be possible during the following meeting.
  • One member expressed concern that they will run out of topics for making recommendations. Staff agreed that this was a possibility they were thinking about as well. There was discussion about the possibility of narrowing their recommendations to allow for thorough and thoughtful preparation of recommendations as well as an in-depth discussion at the MCAC. It is also a possibility to revisit recommendations presented in past meetings to further refine them.
  • Staff cautioned the council members against making recommendations that are specific solutions, not allowing room for HCPF to look at the problem and all the possibilities for solving the problem.

Staff then initiated a discussion about the MEAC Alumni Council members rotating as co-chairs of the Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC) along with the stakeholder members. It was explained that there were multiple stakeholder members of MCAC who volunteered but none of the Alumni members. Staff offered to address any questions or concerns the members might have that may be preventing them from volunteering.

  • One member said that they didn’t understand that they were able to be a co-chair. It was clarified that they are able and encouraged to volunteer as a co-chair.
  • Members had questions about what the role of co-chair would entail. It was explained that the role of the co-chairs would be discussed by those who volunteer. Although, it is expected that the co-chairs will help set the agenda and possibly participate in facilitating the cadence of the meeting.
  • There was further discussion about the co-chairs being involved in MCAC meeting facilitation. Members were concerned that it would be too difficult to facilitate and present recommendations in the same meeting. It was additionally pointed out that typical HCPF meetings have a facilitator, separate from the presenters.
  • It was suggested that the co-chairs simply kick off the MCAC meetings and are not responsible for facilitating the whole meeting.
  • One member suggested that all three Alumni Council members volunteer and would rotate serving as co-chair quarterly.
  • The conversation concluded with the expectation that the Alumni members would think about the opportunity over the next week. Members were encouraged to reach out with any follow-up questions. Kyra is planning to send all the volunteers an email in the coming weeks.

Review of MEAC Survey

Staff shared the highlights of the survey that was taken at the January MEAC meeting on member and provider education.

Survey highlights include:

  • The majority of members accurately know which program they are enrolled in (i.e., HCBS Waiver, Buy-In, Health First Colorado, etc.) and if they are enrolled in a managed care organization.
  • 46% of members said they are not sure which RAE they are enrolled in.
  • 85% reported feeling confused about Health First Colorado either Often (monthly or more) or Sometimes (a few times per year).
  • 69% report utilizing the Member Handbook Never or Rarely when they have questions about Health First Colorado (Top 4 reason)
    • I don’t know where to find it
    • I prefer to talk to someone directly
    • I didn’t know there was a member handbook
    • I’ve tried using it before, but didn’t get the information I needed.
  • What topics do you need more information about? (Top 4 given)
    • RAEs
    • Eligibility and Renewals
    • How to find a doctor or specialist
    • What services Health First Colorado covers
  • Which benefits would you like more information on? (Top 4)
    • Behavioral Health
    • HCBS
    • Specialist
    • Dental
  • What do you think providers should know to improve your experience? (Top 3 responses)
    • Prior authorizations
    • How to help members with care coordination
    • How to help members with disabilities

During the review, members and staff shared some thoughts about the results.

  • One member shared that they associate the member handbook with old information because the cover photo has been the same for many years.
  • Another member shared that they never associated their RAE with Health First Colorado. When they have a question or problem they want to go to the source for the answer.
  • A member shared that they receive marketing materials from health care plans trying to get the member to choose them as their Medicare plan. Therefore, materials coming from their RAE are seen as marketing and ignored.
  • One member visited a number of websites to review the language around what a RAE is and what they do for members. They felt that the information isn’t specific enough, the language doesn’t get to the core of what the RAEs do.

Recommendation Worktime

Staff shared the draft slide deck for the RAE Member Education Recommendation and walked through the identification of problems and potential recommendations identified in previous MEAC and MEAC Alumni Council meetings.

Next Steps and Planning

  • HCPF staff shared that they can provide two hours of independent work time for council members to collaborate on the RAE Member Education Recommendation. HCPF staff would coordinate and schedule the virtual meeting.
  • HCPF staff would provide the council with the slide deck information in a Google Doc format for ease of editing. Staff requested that changes be made using track changes so that the group could review the changes during the February meeting and staff would know what needs to be updated in the slide deck.

Adjourn

Next Meeting: February 10, 2026