Dear Community,

Today, the Governor released the first draft of the 2026-27 State Budget. A summary of the budget can be found here. You can also review the Governor’s budget letter and slides.

The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) represents about a third of our state budget, primarily in health care payments for Health First Colorado members, the name of Colorado’s Medicaid program. Changes in federal mandates and funding under H.R.1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act), alongside Colorado’s revenue cap due to the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) law, both impact our state budget. Changes are necessary to sustain Medicaid for the growing number of new members and service usage rates of current members. We met with HCPF leadership today to hear about their plans and anticipated changes.

To promote the sustainability of our state Medicaid program and to continue to provide quality care and support for low-income people, children, pregnant people and people with disabilities in Colorado, HCPF has announced a plan that prioritizes data-driven changes based on key trends in enrollment and service usage. You can read more about the proposed changes here.

Ways to get involved:

• HCPF will be hosting its first community feedback session about these changes on November 10th from 10:30-11:30am. You can register to participate here.
• You can submit feedback to HCPF about the proposed changes here.

 

At the Council, we believe that people with disabilities deserve to live a meaningful life of their own design and choice. We know that having services and supports helps make that happen, and we are here to support our community and work to find solutions that uplift us all.

We will keep you informed with more opportunities to participate.

In community,

Sarah Grazier

Executive Director