Repeal and replacement of Colorado Indigent Care Program provisions / Hospital discounted care and DSH (House Bill 24-1399)
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Repeals the Colorado Indigent Care Program effective July 1, 2025; creates a Hospital Discounted Care Advisory Committee; updates reporting, allocation, and eligibility rules for the primary care fund; and amends statutes to align with hospital discounted care and disproportionate share hospital payment policy, affecting hospitals, qualified providers, community health centers, and state agencies.
The Colorado Indigent Care Program (part 1) is repealed effective July 1, 2025.
Primary care fund reporting requirements added requiring annual report beginning Feb 1, 2026, including uninsured/medically indigent counts and allocations to qualified providers.
Disproportionate share hospital payment policy and qualification rulemaking deadlines added (state board to promulgate rules no later than July 1, 2025).
A Hospital Discounted Care Advisory Committee is created in the state department with specified membership and duties.
Coverage criteria and rulemaking
Primary care fund reporting criteria
Reporting and allocation criteria for the primary care fund and distributions to eligible qualified providers.
Screening and application
Requirements for facility screening of uninsured patients and application use for discounted care.
DSH payment policy rulemaking
Guidance and deadline for rulemaking on disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment policy.
Coding, eligibility thresholds, and payment references
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Provider responsibilities and application requirements
Use single uniform application for discounted-care screening
Create and use a single uniform application when screening uninsured patients for eligibility for discounted care (and the Colorado Indigent Care Program). The facility must use this application to screen each uninsured patient beginning September 1, 2022, unless the patient declines.
- Applies to screening for discounted care as described in §25.5-3-502.
- Rulemaking requires the single uniform application to be mandated for use by health-care facilities.
Mandatory single uniform application for eligibility screening
Health-care facilities MUST use the single uniform application specified by state rule when screening patients for eligibility for the Colorado Indigent Care Program and discounted care; the state department's rules shall require and align processes for qualifying and appealing denials.
- The single uniform application is required by the rules the state board/department promulgates.
- Processes for qualifying and appealing denials for the Indigent Care Program and discounted care must be aligned by the state department.
Provider fee: imposition and required use of proceeds
A local governing body MAY impose a provider fee on health services provided by qualified providers to obtain federal financial participation; proceeds MUST be used only to sustain or increase reimbursements for medical care under the state's medical assistance program and to benefit low‑income populations.
- State department may distribute provider fee and associated federal financial participation to local governments or directly to qualified providers.
- Provider fee proceeds must be used to sustain or increase reimbursements under the state's medical assistance program and for low‑income populations.
Key definitions referenced in the policy
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