This amendment attempts to reverse a previous committee decision by removing specific text from pages 2 through 5 and adding new funding rules for health care and corrections that depend on other bills becoming law.
Colorado2026Enacted
HB26-1411
Changes to Health Benefits for Pregnant Women and Children in Colorado
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 8:22 AM
In one sentence
This law sets new limits on dental care, behavioral health services, managed care options, and long-term support benefits for pregnant women and children who do not qualify for standard medical assistance due to immigration status.
What it does
- Sets an annual limit of $1,100 on dental services starting July 1, 2026.
- Requires behavioral health services to be paid per visit only instead of through managed care plans starting January 1, 2027.
- Stops coverage for services provided by accountable care collaboratives and general managed care programs starting January 1, 2027.
- Blocks access to long-term home health, nursing home, hospice care, and other specific supports for eligible children unless they already receive these services before December 31, 2026.
- Caps enrollment at 25,000 children if program costs or sign-ups exceed specific limits during the 2026-27 fiscal year.
- Removes rules that required the state to create an outreach plan for new coverage and ends the State Children's Basic Health Plan.
Who it affects
- Pregnant women who are not eligible for standard medical assistance solely because of their immigration status.
- Children under age 19 with family incomes at or below 260% of the federal poverty line who do not meet immigration requirements for full coverage.
Limits and unknowns
- The exact date when enrollment caps take effect depends on how long it takes state officials to confirm costs or numbers have exceeded the limits.
- Children who do not already receive specific long-term care services by December 31, 2026, will lose eligibility for them starting January 1, 2027.
Plain language
Terms to know
- State Medical Assistance Program
- A state-funded health insurance program created to cover people who cannot get standard medical assistance due to their immigration status.
- Fee-for-Service
- A payment method where providers are paid separately for each service given, rather than receiving a set amount per patient through a managed care plan.
- Federal Poverty Line
- An income level used by the government to determine if families qualify for financial aid programs; this bill uses 260% of that line as an eligibility limit.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
The act limits the benefits pregnant women and children with a certain family household income and citizen or immigration status are eligible for under the state medical assistance program and the medical assistance program. Eligible pregnant women and children are subject to the following limitations on benefits: Beginning July 1, 2026, there is an annual cap on dental services in the amount of $1,100; Beginning January 1, 2027, behavioral health services offered must be provided on a fee-for-service basis only; Beginning January 1, 2027, services offered through the accountable care collaborative are no longer covered; and Beginning January 1, 2027, managed care services through the medical assistance program are no longer covered. Beginning January 1, 2027, children under 19 years old whose family household income does not exceed 260% of the federal poverty line, adjusted for family size, and who are not eligible for the medical assistance program due to their immigration status, are not eligible for home- and community-based services, community first choice, long-term home health, private duty nursing, hospice care, and nursing home care unless those children already receive those services on or before December 31, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, the act caps enrollment of children in the state medical assistance program at 25,000 children if either enrollment exceeds 25,000 or the expenditures for a fiscal quarter exceeds one-quarter of the appropriation for state medical assistance plus 5% to account for seasonality fluctuations. If one of the conditions is met, the enrollment cap begins on the first day of the month following 60 days after the department of health care policy and financing (state department) determines that the condition was met. The act repeals provisions requiring the state department to develop an outreach and enrollment strategy for enrolling eligible groups into new coverage options and repeals the state children's basic health plan. The act appropriates $3,378,166 from the general fund to the state department to implement the act and reduces appropriations to the state department by $14,202,723 if certain conditions are met. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Official activity
Bill history
- Governor SignedGovernor
- Sent to the GovernorGovernor
- Signed by the President of the SenateSenate
- Signed by the Speaker of the HouseHouse
- House Consideration of First Conference Committee Report result was to Adopt Committee Report - RepassHouse
- Senate Consideration of First Conference Committee Report result was to Adopt Committee Report - RepassSenate
- House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Not Concur - Request Conference CommitteeHouse
- Senate Third Reading Passed - No AmendmentsSenate
- Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - CommitteeSenate
- Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the WholeSenate
- Introduced In Senate - Assigned to AppropriationsSenate
- House Third Reading Passed with Amendments - FloorHouse
- House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No AmendmentsHouse
- House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - FloorHouse
- House Second Reading Special Order - Laid Over Daily - No AmendmentsHouse
- House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the WholeHouse
- Introduced In House - Assigned to AppropriationsHouse
Changes
Amendments
7 stored
This amendment adds a yearly limit on dental benefits for some people and sets a maximum number of children with low income who are not eligible due to immigration status that can join the state medical program in 2026.
This amendment adds specific funding amounts for health care and corrections programs that will only take effect if other related bills pass or fail.
This amendment adds specific funding amounts for health benefits and sets rules that make the money available only if a different bill, House Bill 26-1401, either does or does not become law.
This amendment proposes to remove specific sections from a committee report about changes to medical benefits for pregnant women and children.
This amendment would have added specific restrictions to the Cover All Coloradans program by blocking certain types of care and adding a new funding section for the state.
This amendment changes the rules for when different parts of the bill start working by making them depend on whether other specific bills become law or if funding is approved.