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Take Action on Your Renewal

It’s time to take action to make sure you are covered

The Public Health Emergency (PHE)

On January 31, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, the federal government declared a public health emergency (PHE). If you had Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), laws were passed to make sure you could keep your health coverage even if your household or income changed during the PHE. This is called the continuous coverage requirement. A bill was passed that ends this requirement on April 1, 2023. The PHE was extended by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra on January 11, 2023. It can be extended for up to 90 days at a time. The PHE is expected to end on May 11, 2023.

What This Means For You

This means that you will need to renew your health coverage. You will be notified when it is your turn to renew. This is why it is important to make sure your contact information is up-to-date.

Update Your Address and Phone Number

If you have Health First Colorado or CHP+, make sure they have the right contact information for you. This means your address, phone number, and email address. This will help you get important updates about your health care coverage.

It’s easy to update your contact information. Here are the ways you can do this:

  1. Visit colorado.gov/PEAK. If you don’t have a PEAK account, you can make one there.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

You will get a renewal packet in the mail that you have to fill out, sign, and return by a certain date. The date will be on the forms in your renewal packet.

You have to respond to letters to see if you still qualify for your health coverage. This is a new requirement. These letters may go to your mailing address. They also may be emailed to you. This is why it is important that your contact information is up to date.

The Renewal Process

  1. You will get a renewal packet in the mail. It will come in an envelope that looks like this:
  2. Review all the information in the packet
  3. Edit any information that is not correct.
  4. If you need to give any documentation, make sure to include it.
  5. Sign the letter that is in the packet.
  6. Return the packet by the due date on the letter.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. If you do not do your renewal, they will send you another letter.
  3. 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.

 

If You Are Not Approved

If you no longer qualify for Health First Colorado or CHP+, you will have 60 days to get other health coverage. This is called a special enrollment period.

What happens if I no longer qualify for Health First Colorado or CHP+?

  • You will have a short amount of time to apply for other coverage. This is called a special enrollment period. This time span is different for each health insurance company.

Other health coverage choices are:

  • Through your employer. Check with them about choices, rules and deadlines.
  • Through a family member’s health insurance. This can mean a spouse. Or a parent if you are 25 or younger.
  • Through Connect for Health Colorado. This is the state of Colorado’s health insurance marketplace. You might qualify for financial help to lower the cost of your premium.
  • Through Medicare. This is for people age 65 or older. Or for people under 65 with certain disabilities or end-stage renal disease.
  • Through Tricare. This is for active military, naval, or air service members.
  • Or through Veterans Affairs. This is if you are a veteran of military, naval, or air service.
  • If you no longer qualify because you missed the deadline to respond, you can reapply for Health First Colorado.

You may be able to get financial help from the government during this time.
Go to connectforhealthco.com to learn more.

Resources for You

  • See what sample renewal packets look like
    • If you are a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) member:
    • If you are a non-MAGI member:
      • Non-MAGI means you are over age 65, or blind or disabled.
      • English
      • Spanish
  • 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.

And as always, we are here to help! If you have any questions, please call us at 800-511-5010.