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Colorado Medicaid and the new work rules
Health First Colorado is run by Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). Colorado expanded Medicaid on 2014-01-01, which is why the new federal work requirement reaches this state — and why what you do before January 1, 2027 matters.
From January 1, 2027, most adults have to show 80 hours a month
The requirement applies to adults aged 19 to 64 covered through Medicaid expansion — around 377,000 people in Colorado. It is not only about paid work: study, job training, volunteering and a mix of them all count , and earning at least $580 a month satisfies it on its own.
HCPF says it will rely first on existing state data matches — wage records, SNAP/TANF status, student records, VA disability status — and on self-attestation where data isn't available, rather than requiring new paperwork for everyone. Letters requesting proof go out at a member's renewal date or when a change in circumstances requires more information.
If your hours swing from month to month, say so. The rule is written per month, which is the wrong shape for farm and fishing work, construction, tourism and seasonal retail — a good month and a dead month average out to a living, but the dead month is the one that fails. Federal law has a provision for exactly this: a seasonal worker can satisfy the requirement using their average monthly income over the previous six months instead of hours worked in the month being checked. It is at 42 CFR 435.552(a)(7), and the law defines who counts as seasonal by pointing at the tax code rather than listing jobs, so do not decide for yourself that it misses you. If your work is seasonal or your hours are irregular, tell the state that when you report, and ask for the six-month average to be used.
You do not have to prove anything if any of these describe you
Exemptions are meant to be applied by the state automatically from records it already holds, but records are imperfect. If one of these fits you and you still get asked to report hours, say so and ask them to check — don't assume the notice is right.
What you can earn and still qualify
Monthly income, before tax, for the whole household. These are the state's own published figures, which is what its caseworkers actually apply. If you are close to a line, apply anyway — some income does not count, and only the agency can run the calculation for your situation.
Adults 19 to 64133% of the poverty line
- 1 person
- $1,769
- 2 people
- $2,399
- 3 people
- $3,028
- 4 people
- $3,658
- 5 people
- $4,288
- 6 people
- $4,917
Parents and caretakers68% of the poverty line
- 1 person
- $905
- 2 people
- $1,227
- 3 people
- $1,549
- 4 people
- $1,870
- 5 people
- $2,192
- 6 people
- $2,514
Pregnant195% of the poverty line
- 1 person
- $2,594
- 2 people
- $3,517
- 3 people
- $4,440
- 4 people
- $5,363
- 5 people
- $6,286
- 6 people
- $7,209
Source: HCPF Operational Memo 26-007, '2026 Federal Poverty Level Guidelines' (effective April 1, 2026); same figures published at healthfirstcolorado.gov/apply-now/do-you-qualify. A note on precision: HCPF's own fact sheets describe the adult limit as '133% (138% with income disregards)' — the table above shows the stated 133% figure; the extra 5% is applied by caseworkers during the determination itself rather than published as a combined number, the same pattern used in other expansion states. We publish the state figure.
Two other changes land on the same day
Renewals get more frequent, and back-dated coverage gets shorter.
P.L. 119-21 §71112, amending 42 U.S.C. §1396a(a)(34). Applies to applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027.
Do this now
Update your address and phone number first. Everything about the new rules arrives by mail, and a stale address is the most common reason people lose coverage they are still entitled to. Then check whether an exemption applies to you.
About the phone numbers: The Member Contact Center is open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., but closes early (2–4:30 p.m.) on the third Thursday of every month for staff training. Phone applications are only taken 8 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays.
Deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired: 711 (State Relay).
Health First Colorado provides free interpreters and translated materials in its top 15 languages — Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, French, Russian, Amharic, Somali, Arabic, German, Farsi, Tagalog, Nepali, Polish, and Japanese — and will arrange help in other languages on request. Call the Member Contact Center and tell the representative which language you need, or ask for a Babel sheet listing these options. Free auxiliary aids, including American Sign Language interpreters and materials in large print or Braille, are also available on request at no charge.
Most people who lose coverage lose it over paperwork, not eligibility
In the months after Colorado's COVID-era continuous-coverage unwind ended, about 77–81% of Health First Colorado and CHP+ members due for renewal were approved each month, with roughly two-thirds of those approvals happening automatically through ex parte (data-match) renewal rather than a returned paper packet.% of the coverage losses recorded in Colorado were procedural — a form, a deadline, or an address, rather than a real change in whether someone qualified. From January 1, 2027 that matters more, not less.
NOTICE OF ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION
Case number: ███████
Date of this notice: 1January 12, 2027
Our records do not show that you met the community engagement requirement for the reporting period.
2If you believe this is incorrect, or if an exemption applies to you, contact us on or before February 11, 2027.
3Coverage for other members of your household is not affected by this notice.
What the federal data says about coverage here
Public federal data describes how each state runs its program. Almost all of it is written for policy analysts. Here is what those numbers mean if you are the person enrolled.
Of people who lost coverage here, this share lost it over paperwork rather than eligibility.
Open every letter. Keep your address current with the agency.
Coverage here runs through private health plans rather than the state paying providers directly. You pick a plan, and your plan decides your network.
Check your doctor is in the plan before you choose it.
Where you live in this state changes what coverage is worth. Colorado's rural communities — including the Western Slope, San Luis Valley, and southeastern plains — have markedly less provider access than the Front Range. Colorado's nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff reported roughly 0.8 physicians per 1,000 residents in rural Colorado compared with 2.6 per 1,000 in urban areas, that rural residents travel an average of 10.5 miles to the nearest hospital (some more than 50 miles from a full-service hospital), that 64% of rural and frontier counties lack hospital obstetric services (with an average 51-mile drive for maternity care, 7.2 times farther than metro residents), and that all 47 of the state's rural and frontier counties are designated mental health professional shortage areas, with only 8.2% of the state's mental health providers located in rural areas. Colorado Legislative Council Staff, Joint Budget Committee 'Staff Budget Briefing' on HCPF (December 2025), content.leg.colorado.gov
Questions people ask about this
Do the new Medicaid work rules apply to me in Colorado?
How many hours a month do I have to work?
Who is exempt from the work requirement in Colorado?
When do the Colorado work rules start?
What is the income limit for Colorado Medicaid?
How do I apply for Health First Colorado?
How often do I have to renew Colorado Medicaid?
Guides for neighboring states
The rules change completely at the state line. If you moved recently, or you're helping family somewhere else, start with their state rather than this one.
Health First Colorado's new work requirement starts January 1, 2027, and the state has already begun mailing informational letters and moving affected adults to renewals every six months instead of once a year.
If you're an adult covered through Health First Colorado's expansion group, make sure your address, phone number, and email are current on Colorado PEAK now, so a renewal notice or a request to prove your work hours or exemption doesn't get lost before the deadline.
Updating your address takes two minutes and protects everything else. Do that first, then check the exemption list above.
Go to Apply on Colorado PEAK →