Take Action on Your Renewal
It’s time to take action to make sure you are covered
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Medicaid Renewals Are Restarting
During the public health emergency (PHE), if you had Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), you could keep your coverage. You could keep your coverage even if you no longer qualified.
The PHE ended on May 11, 2023. States are going back to normal operations. All members will go through the renewal process each year. This will be to see if you still qualify for health coverage through one of these programs.
Scam Alert
If you have Health First Colorado or CHP+, scammers may target you. They may do this through text messages and phone calls. Scammers are also targeting people who are applying for Health First Colorado and CHP+.
Scammers will:
- Say your health coverage is canceled. Or threaten to cancel it
- Ask you for
- money, credit card or bank account information
- your income or employer information
- your full social security number
Health First Colorado and CHP+ may:
- Ask you to update your information on PEAK. Or with your local county human services department.
Health First Colorado and CHP+ will never:
- Ask for
- Money, credit card, or bank account information
- Your full social security number
- You to keep the communication secret from others
- Say that you are in legal trouble
Report a scam
You can report a scam at coag.gov/file-complaint.
What This Means For You
This means you will need to renew your Health First Colorado or CHP+ coverage. If Health First Colorado and CHP+ don’t have your most recent contact information, they can’t let you know when it’s time for your renewal.
Don’t Risk a Gap in Health Coverage: What You Can Do
Update Your Address and Phone Number
Updating your address, phone number, and email is quick and easy. You can update your information in one of these ways:
- Visit colorado.gov/PEAK. If you don’t have a PEAK account, you can make one there.
- Use the free Health First Colorado app on your phone. You can download it from the Apple App store or the Google Play store. Visit healthfirstcolorado.com/mobileapp to learn more about the app.
- You can use the same account for PEAK and the Health First Colorado app.
- Contact your county department of human services. Visit colorado.gov/our-partners/counties/contact-your-county-human-services-department to find out how to contact them.
Don’t risk losing your health coverage: Fill out, sign and return the renewal packet by the deadline
Health First Colorado will send a renewal packet either in the mail or to your email. It will tell you to check your PEAK mailbox several weeks before your renewal due date.
If you use the Health First Colorado app, and have opted in to push notifications, you will get a notification when it’s time to take action.
The Renewal Process
How to Fill Out Your Renewal Packet
- You will get a renewal packet in the mail. It will come in an envelope that looks like this:
- Review all the information in the packet
- Edit any information that is not correct.
- If you need to give any documentation, make sure to include it.
- Sign the Renewal Form Signature Page in your packet.
- Return the packet by the due date on the letter.
If you do not complete your renewal, you may lose your coverage.
Health First Colorado will do a review at least once a year. This will find out if you and/or your family members are still eligible for Health First Colorado. This review is called the renewal process. It is also called redetermination or RRR.
Not everyone will get renewed at the same time. You may be automatically renewed. Or you will need to go through the renewal process and take action. This depends on what information the state of Colorado has on file for you.
If you need to renew, you will get a renewal packet before your renewal date. It will have key information and your renewal deadline in it. You can also check your renewal deadline on colorado.gov/PEAK at any time.
If you get a renewal packet, make sure you fill it out, sign it, and return it by the due date. Go to hfcgo.com/renewals if you have any questions about the renewal process.
More About the Renewal Process
- Health First Colorado will send you a letter, email, and text message. They will also send you a push notification in the Health First Colorado app.
- If you do not do your renewal, they will send you another letter.
- After you fill out the paperwork and submit your renewal, you will get a notice of action (letter). This will let you know if you will continue to have coverage or not.
- If the letter says you are approved, you do not need to do anything.
What happens if I no longer qualify for Health First Colorado or CHP+?
If you no longer qualify for Health First Colorado or CHP+, you can apply for other coverage. You have a limited amount of time to do this. The time you have to apply for new coverage is a “special enrollment period.”
Other health coverage choices include:
- Coverage through your employer. Check with your employer to learn about choices, rules and deadlines.
- Coverage through a family member’s health insurance. This means a spouse. Or a parent, if you are 25 or younger.
- Coverage through Connect for Health Colorado. This is Colorado’s official health insurance marketplace. You might qualify for financial help to lower the cost of your premium.
- To get free help enrolling in Connect for Health Colorado coverage, talk to a certified assister. You can talk to them online. Or call them at 855-752-6749. TTY users should call 855-346-3432.
- Coverage through Medicare: This is for people age 65 or older. Or people under 65 with certain disabilities or end-stage renal disease. If you need help to find a plan, call the Colorado State Health Insurance Assistance Program (Colorado SHIP). It is a Medicare assistance program. Call them at 888-696-7213.
- Coverage for active or former military, naval, or air service through Tricare (active) or VA (veterans).
If you no longer qualify because you missed the deadline to answer, you can reapply for Health First Colorado.
If you miss your renewal due date, you will no longer have Health First Colorado or CHP+ coverage at the end of your renewal period.
The 90 days after you lose health coverage is called a reconsideration period. During this time, your eligibility may be checked again. This may happen if you give new information. Or if you turned in your renewal late.
During this time, you can give your renewal and other needed items to your county. You can also send these things through PEAK. It will show up as an item on the to-do list in PEAK.
If you do not give in these things within 90 days of losing coverage, you will need to do a new application. This is to see if you qualify for Health First Colorado or CHP+.
I got a letter saying that I don’t qualify for health coverage, and I don’t agree. Can I appeal the decision?
Yes, you are always allowed to appeal a decision about whether you qualify for health coverage. “Appeal” means you tell a county or state office that you disagree with a decision and you want a hearing. Follow the instructions in your letter about how to ask for an appeal.
You can also reapply for Health First Colorado or CHP+.
Resources for You
- See what sample renewal packets look like
- Learn more about the renewal process
- Get help with your renewal from an application site
- Go to colorado.gov/apps/maps/hcpf.map to find an application site or Department of Human Services office near you.
- You will need to put a ZIP code in. Then the map will show the top three sites closest to you.
- Go to colorado.gov/apps/maps/hcpf.map to find an application site or Department of Human Services office near you.
- How to update your contact information and communication preferences
- Information about Connect for Health Colorado (if you no longer qualify for Health First Colorado)
- Get more help from the Department of Human Services. They can help with things like food assistance, heating your home, and finding work. Learn more:
- Call them at 303-866-5700
- Or go to colorado.gov/benefits-assistance
And as always, we are here to help! If you have any questions, please call us at 800-511-5010.