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This short but important message is for

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all those covered by Colorado Medicaid,

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also known as Health First Colorado and

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the Children's Health Insurance Program.

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Hi, I'm Kim Bimestefer. I'm the CEO of

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Health First Colorado and Executive

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Director of the Colorado Department of

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Healthcare Policy & Financing. That's

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the state department that oversees

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Medicaid and CHIP. I want to share four

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very important points of how the federal

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government's one big beautiful bill act

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signed into law on July 4th will affect

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you. First, changes caused by this

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federal bill won't impact Medicaid

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members until January 1st, 2027. That's

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when about 375,000

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Medicaid members will have to renew

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their coverage every 6 months instead of

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every 12 months. Also effective January

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1st, 2027, many of these same

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individuals will need to prove they're

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working, going to school, or

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volunteering at least 80 hours a month

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to keep qualifying for Medicaid as

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required by the sweeping new federal

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legislation. You might hear this federal

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mandate referred to as work

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requirements. In the coming months, we

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will let you know exactly who is

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impacted by these new federal work

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requirements and what specific steps

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individuals who are impacted will have

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to take to remain eligible for Medicaid

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coverage. Second, starting October 2027,

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the federal government has made the

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decision to provide less money to pay

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for Colorado Medicaid and other Medicaid

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programs around the country. And in this

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state, that includes our Medicaid buy-in

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program for people with disabilities.

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That will reduce the money we have to

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pay for Medicaid and CHIP benefits.

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Third, the state of Colorado is also in

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a very tough budget situation as

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Medicaid and other state expenses are

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growing faster than the money we have to

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pay for them. Because of all of this,

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you should not be surprised by future

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reductions to Medicaid and CHIP benefits

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as state-elected officials have to make

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very difficult decisions to balance the

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state budget with less money. We will

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let you know before any changes to your

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benefits are made. So, please watch for

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our communications in the months to

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come. Last, to make sure you stay

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informed every step of the way and that

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you receive our communications. Please

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update your current address, email, and

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phone number online through Colorado

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Peak. That's co.gov/peak.

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Or, call your county human services

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department, and give them that

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information. I know this isn't an easy

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message to hear, but we want to be open

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and clear with you about what you should

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expect. Know that we are in this

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together and that our goals are to help

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you keep your health coverage while

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avoiding drastic cuts to Medicaid and

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CHIP. Please know that we are doing

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everything we can to make that happen.

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From all of us at the Colorado

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Department of Health Care Policy &

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Financing, thank you for listening. It

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is an absolute honor to serve you.