County Partners,

As we move into the fall season, I want to remind you of the important role you all play in helping us address the pandemic for the betterment of all Coloradans. I appreciate all you do to help set the right example in your community. Wearing a mask and practicing social distancing are proven actions we can all take to reduce COVID-19 spread and save lives – protecting both our care givers and the Coloradans we serve.

November and December bring additional challenges. Thanksgiving and the coming year-end holidays traditionally bring friends and families together. This year will be different as we continue to make intention plans that protect one another. I invite you, as leaders in your community, to join in the Step Up campaign by sharing on social media the ways we are stepping up together to battle the pandemic. The website has examples of posts you can share to help. Thank you for your resilience, and thank you for your leadership and partnership during this truly historic and challenging chapter.

Concurrent with our efforts to battle the COVID-19 spread, we are actively monitoring emerging health policies and the Supreme Court hearing on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Through all this uncertainty, our goal is to stand firm to protect the healthcare gains we have made and continue to address persistent and emerging challenges.

The ACA’s Medicaid expansion provision – and Colorado’s decision to maximize that opportunity – brought needed and affordable coverage to hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. With the economic downturn, even more Coloradans are turning to Medicaid. We are welcoming new members and outreaching to others to help connect them to our coverage programs, which is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACA also brought subsidies to improve the affordability of private insurance for those with incomes below 400% of the poverty level. It provided accessible coverage for young adults up to age 26 and created nondiscrimination provisions. As importantly, it created new protections for those with preexisting conditions, enabling many to gain access to coverage that was impossible before the ACA. Overall, the ACA has transformed our health care system and significantly reduced our uninsured rate here in Colorado and across the country.

While we have made gains together, we know work remains to improve affordability through new solutions and policies, especially in the area of rising prescription drug costs. We also have a host of work to do to close health care disparities, which have been further exacerbated by the pandemic. In this spirit, we invite you to join us in our quest to make a Colorado that Works for All of Us – A Colorado for All.

Through these uncertain times, a global pandemic, and an economic downturn, our Department and our passionate staff will continue to work hard to protect and serve our growing members – soon to exceed 1.4 million. Our members are an inspiration, and it is our honor to serve them each day. (Watch Mike’s story.)

Thank you for your leadership and partnership through these uncertain times.

Kim

You can now download an app to help fight COVID-19, slow its spread, protect yourself and your loved ones. CO Exposure Notifications will quickly notify you if you’ve likely been exposed to the virus, allowing you to seek timely medical attention and take action to protect others. The app is free and does not share your personal information. It can alert you if you have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

Visit AddYourPhone.com to watch a short video about how it works and how to turn it on with Apple or Android devices.

If your clients have been receiving COVID-19 Speed Letters, this is not an error. Members who previously received a letter stating their Health First Colorado or CHP+ coverage would be ending should have received a new Speed Letter that let them know they still have benefits through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Members who were terminated as of April 30, 2020, should have also received a Speed Letter informing them their coverage has been reopened.

During the release of Project 14017, the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) began the COVID-19 Lock-in process, which retained individuals’ Medical Assistance eligibility in the aid code they were eligible for in April 2020. As a result of this action, an additional notification/letter was required to inform these individuals of such changes, as some may have expected a change in eligibility. EXAMPLE: An individual who may have understood they were no longer eligible for a category of aid due to the loss of a disability would have expected a change in circumstance notification. However, during the COVID PHE period, they would not have received the expected notice because CBMS locked-in their eligibility.

HCPF and the Staff Development Center (SDC) hosted a webinar in April on this topic. A recording of the HCPF Medical Assistance Waivers webinar is available for those unable to attend. After clicking the provided link, you will first be directed to the Sign-In page for CoLearn, where you will need to login with your credentials. After signing in, you will then be directed to launch the recording. The PowerPoint presentation is available and specific details around the Lock-In Speed Letters and electronic notifications can be found on slides 27-29.

If you have any questions or need additional information regarding this communication, please contact HCPF Medicaid Eligibility.

All Memos and their attachments can be found on the Memo Series website.

PM 20-010

The purpose of this Policy Memo is to inform eligibility sites of the income and resource

eligibility rules for all Medical Assistance categories, regarding the Colorado Emergency

Economic Stimulus payment. Executive Order D 2020 018 issued by Governor Jared

Polis on Oct. 28,2020, is a one-time direct stimulus payment to qualifying individuals

experiencing economic hardship caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Please

share this memo with all eligibility staff, supervisors, and outside agencies, as

appropriate.

The public health emergency (PHE) end date has once again been extended from Oct. 23, 2020 to Jan. 20, 2021. To answer questions we have received on this topic, this operational memo will clarify guidance and rules related to eligibility for COVID-19 testing for uninsured individuals.

OM 20-098

The purpose of this operational memo is to inform members, stakeholders, and

eligibility sites of the addition of the Health First Colorado Medicaid Buy – In phone

number. Beginning, Oct.1, 2020, the Health First Colorado, Medicaid program for

children and working adults with disabilities (also known as the Medicaid buy-in

program), will have a direct number for members to use for questions about eligibility,

premiums, and status. Please advise members to use this dedicated, toll free number

for any Medicaid Buy-In questions or concerns, 1-800-711-6994. You can also continue

to use the Health First Colorado number as well. Please share this memo with all

eligibility staff, supervisors, and outside agencies, as appropriate.

IM 20-051

The purpose of this Informational Memo is to inform Case Managers, participants, and providers of a change to the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) in accordance with cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for both Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Old Age Pension (OAP).

Unfortunately, the pandemic is continuing to grow and affect our communities. It is more important than ever to make sure all Coloradans have access to affordable health insurance and thankfully Open Enrollment has begun and is open to Coloradans until Jan. 15. 2021.

One in four Coloradans are covered by Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program). We want all Coloradans to know that we are here for them, and it's easy to apply for coverage.

Please help us spread our message by sharing videos where real members tell their stories about getting quality health care through Health First Colorado. It's easy to share! Just visit our member video toolkit to find copy-and-paste messaging and videos to upload to your social media channels.

The Department is changing the timeframe in which we will verify a Health First Colorado or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) applicant's income.

Beginning in Spring 2021, the Department will be narrowing the window for a member to provide verification for an income discrepancy from 90 to 30 calendar days, when requested. This change is based on member feedback that this timeframe reduces confusion because it better aligns with other timelines in the eligibility process.

In addition, the Department is excited to upgrade to a more timely income verification process that pulls from multiple database sources. We hope doing so will help us verify income automatically without needing to request additional proof of income from applicants.

Questions? Reach out to the Medicaid Eligibility Inbox.

A HTP Refresher training took place on Tuesday, Nov. 10. If you have any questions or need additional information, please send an email to the HTP inbox or contact Joe Sekiya, Hospital Transformation Project Manager. The training was recorded and posted to the HTP website.

Community Advisory Council meetings continue to take place on a monthly basis, with the most recent meeting taking place on Monday, Oct. 9. The agenda, meeting materials and previous meeting notes can be found on the Community Advisory Council website.

The next CHASE Board meeting will take place via webinar on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. Additional information about the board, as well as meeting materials, which will be posted before the meeting date, can be found on the CHASE Board website. 

The Department is pleased to announce that on Nov. 13, 2020 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provided approval of Colorado's Section 1115 Substance Use Disorder (SUD) demonstration, titled "Expanding the Substance Use Disorder Continuum of Care."

We have included CMS Administrator Seema Verma's letter of approval, expenditure authority and the Special Terms and Conditions for the demonstration.

For more information on HCPF's Buy-in programs, visit the Health First Colorado Buy-in webpage.

The Semi-Annual Status Report for Reporting Period 1: July 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, will be sent out the 3rd week of January. The status report will provide a high-level update on each county’s performance for the past six (6) months. The report will include Timeliness, LTSS Timeliness, Backlog, and Timeliness of Case Maintenance and Disenrollment. The Cyber Security and Training & Quality Incentives are measured at the end of the fiscal year (the end of the second reporting period).  

For additional information please refer to the County Admin webpage. 

As a reminder, each incentive's Operational Memo should be a main reference for where and how to pull reports. 

At the end of Reporting Period 1, counties will be notified whether they qualify for an exemption request. Counties that are qualified to request exemption will have 10 business days to submit all the required documentation. The Department will review the document and will notify the county if the exemption is approved, partially approved, or denied.  

The most updated training progress report will be sent out at the same time. We will ask each county to review the SDC trainings completed and CBMS user report to ensure all the information is accurate. If there is a discrepancy, we ask counties to contact the County Team with the correct information. 

Quarter 2 Quality Check-In meeting information (date/time) will be sent out 3rd week of December. The next quality meetings will be held sometime in February. 

The County Grant Program is a great opportunity for counties to use to implement new programs or improve existing programs that will impact the county’s performance. Currently, counties that are awarded the grant have been implementing programs to improve quality assurance, improve error rates, increase Medicaid providers, and connect uninsured individuals to resources and to apply for Medicaid.

Application for the next fiscal year will be released in May 2021.

Timeliness for all Medical Assistance applications was measured at 98.58 percent.

Timeliness for all Medical Assistance redeterminations was measured at 98.22 percent.