House Bill (HB) 21-1198 Hospital Discounted Care and the Impact on CICP

The Department is in the process of implementing HB 21-1198, otherwise known as Hospital Discounted Care. This bill establishes limits on how much hospitals can charge Coloradans with household incomes at 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or below. It is applicable to all general acute and critical access hospitals, all free standing emergency departments, and all health care professionals who work within these settings. For information about the implementation process and rulemaking, please visit the Hospital Discounted Care website. Comments and questions can be sent to [email protected].

The CICP Stakeholder Advisory Council will be discussing the impact of HB 21-1198 on the CICP during the next scheduled meeting on Feb. 22, 2022. Additionally, an extra meeting has been scheduled to continue the discussion. The additional meeting is scheduled for March 7, 2022, from 1 - 3 p.m. We have scheduled extra time for public comment at both of the next meetings to ensure we are gathering comments, ideas, and concerns from all stakeholders. Comments can also be sent to [email protected] before, during, and after any of the meetings.


Senate Bill (SB) 21-199 Remove Barriers to Certain Public Opportunities

During the 2021 legislative session, SB 21-199 was passed. This bill removes the lawful presence requirement for state programs, including CICP, beginning July 1, 2022. The Department will be changing the rules and requirements related to lawful presence for CICP so that applicants are no longer required to present lawful presence documentation during their CICP application process. To be clear, lawful presence will still be required for Health First Colorado and CHP+. Additionally, this does not change the Colorado residency requirement for all applicants.


Annual Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Update

The Department will be updating the FPL for the CICP on Feb. 1 this year, instead of on April 1. An announcement will be made via this newsletter when the updated applications and the FPL Calculator are updated on the website. Providers MUST begin using the new applications on Feb. 1. Providers can see the updated 2022 FPLs here.

CICP Rule Update

The Department recently made updates to the CICP rules following the Regulatory Rule Review in the summer of 2020 and additional work with the CICP Stakeholder Advisory Council that fall through the spring of 2021. The current CICP rules are on the Secretary of State's website. Below are highlights of changes that were made:

  • The definition of homeless was updated to include people in a "doubled-up" situation. The term "doubled-up" replaces the previous term "residing with others." 

  • The definition of urgent care was updated to include treatment needed within 48 hours instead of the previous "immediate treatment" requirements.

  • The requirement that providers inform clients of their co-payment requirements at the time their application is approved was added to the rules. This has always been CICP policy.

  • The non-discrimination policy was updated as follows: "Qualified Health Care Providers shall not discriminate against Applicants or Clients based on race, color, ethnic or national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, creed, political beliefs, or disability."

  • It was clarified that service availability is to be applied uniformly for all clients. This has always been CICP policy.

  • Gender confirmation procedures were removed from the excluded discounted health care services section. Providers may provide these procedures to CICP clients at the discounted rate if they choose.

Flexible Signature Policy Extension

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has extended the Public Health Emergency. The CICP flexible signature policy will be extended as well, and will now expire on April 30, 2022. The FAQs have been updated with the new dates.