{"id":127581,"date":"2025-08-07T23:31:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T23:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/127581\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T23:31:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T23:31:15","slug":"heres-who-does-and-doesnt-qualify-for-health-care-benefits-as-an-immigrant-in-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/127581\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s who does \u2014\u00a0and doesn\u2019t \u2014 qualify for health care benefits as an immigrant in Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4349.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\"  \/><strong>The emergency entrance sign at Aspen Valley Hospital directs patients to urgent care services.<\/strong><br \/>Madison Osberger-Low\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<p>Health care policy is changing in the United States, including for immigrants, whose eligibility for federal benefits will be restricted following the passage of congressional Republicans\u2019 new tax and budget law.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colorado-republicans-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-passed-expected-to-sign-friday\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">so-called \u201cbig, beautiful bill,\u201d<\/a> which was signed into law on July 4 by President Donald Trump, narrows which immigrant populations can apply for Medicaid and enroll in health insurance plans through public marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n<p>In Colorado, however, immigrants have more options to access health care coverage that might otherwise be unattainable after the state legislature passed laws to expand coverage to more people regardless of their immigration status.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at what is, and isn\u2019t, changing and what it means for Colorado immigrants:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who currently qualifies for Medicaid?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Colorado and across the U.S., immigrants who are \u201clawfully\u201d present and meet a certain \u201cqualified\u201d status are eligible to receive Medicaid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That can include:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lawful permanent residents, commonly referred to as green card holders<\/li>\n<li>Asylees and refugees<\/li>\n<li>Victims of trafficking, torture and domestic violence\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Parolees and other visa holders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In most cases, however, Medicaid coverage isn\u2019t granted automatically, and immigrants usually have to wait five years before they can enroll. Immigrants who are undocumented or don\u2019t meet the definition of having a \u201cqualified\u201d status, such as those with Temporary Protected Status or those enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, are generally not eligible for Medicaid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people who may not be qualified for Medicaid are not always undocumented,\u201d said Adela Flores-Brennan, Medicaid director for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, \u201cthey just may not have a qualifying immigrant status that makes them eligible for Medicaid.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are some exceptions for pregnant women and children. Emergency Medicaid also provides reimbursements to hospitals that provide care for undocumented immigrants during life-threatening situations. That provision accounts for a sliver of Medicaid spending, however, representing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/quick-take\/less-than-1-of-total-medicaid-spending-goes-to-emergency-care-for-noncitizen-immigrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">less than 1% of the program\u2019s total costs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Colorado, immigrants who are pregnant or post-partum, or under the age of 19, can receive Medicaid coverage regardless of their immigration status under the state\u2019s new Cover All Coloradans program.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The program was created by the legislature in 2022 and launched in 2025. As of July, enrollment exceeded 22,000 people, and the program\u2019s costs were upwards of $51 million, according to Colorado Department of Health Care Policy spokesperson Marc Williams.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Coverage for children comes solely from state Medicaid funds, while pregnant and postpartum coverage comes from a mix of state and matching federal dollars. Williams also emphasized that enrollment and cost estimates are still preliminary, and the state will have a better idea of the true number in November.<\/p>\n<p>Because some of the program\u2019s funding comes from matching federal dollars, it does report some individual and aggregate data on enrollees to the federal government, namely the Department of Health and Human Services.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Start Your Day with the Sunrise Rundown<\/strong><br \/>Get the top headlines, local updates, and need-to-know news delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Join thousands of readers who start their day informed\u2014with the Sunrise Rundown from The Aspen Times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Sign up for the Sunrise Rundown at<\/strong> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.AspenTimes.com\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AspenTimes.com\/newsletter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Flores-Brennan said that in the past, the agency has kept that data secure, but now, under the Trump administration, it has begun to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-medicaid-trump-ice-ab9c2267ce596089410387bfcb40eeb7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">share data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>. Colorado is currently part of a multi-state lawsuit to try and stop the practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Flores-Brennan said her department has not been approached by ICE, but it <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2025\/06\/25\/immigrants-medicaid-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">is under review <\/a>by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for its spending on immigrant coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about private health insurance?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Immigrants who qualify for Medicaid but are subject to the five-year waiting period are currently eligible to enroll in private health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and may qualify for tax credits that can subsidize their premiums.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>People with Temporary Protected Status or who are DACA recipients are also eligible for ACA health plans, unlike Medicaid, though undocumented individuals are still ineligible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Colorado, however, has a state-funded program called OmniSalud that provides insurance coverage for immigrants regardless of their status.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4364.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-422348\"  \/>A man walking into Aspen Valley Health.Madison Osberger-Low\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<p>People who aren\u2019t enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare, and don\u2019t qualify for Affordable Care Act tax credits, can apply. But they must make below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level, equal to $23,475 a year for an individual.<\/p>\n<p>The legislature created the program through a bill in 2020, and the OmniSalud plan launched in November 2022 with the start of that year\u2019s open enrollment period.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the Colorado Division of Insurance, the program has provided insurance to approximately 33,000 enrollees since its inception, with around 12,000 enrolled in a subsidized plan as of this year, to the tune of about $90 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Funding is generated through a fee that the state levies on health insurers operating in Colorado. OmniSalud does not share information with the federal government.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do the federal changes mean?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The sprawling \u201cbig, beautiful bill\u201d passed by Congress is set to limit immigrants\u2019 access to health care in several ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Medicaid, the bill eliminates eligibility for refugees and asylees, victims of trafficking and abuse, and those who\u2019ve been granted parole for at least one year, starting on Oct. 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After that date, the only immigrants who will qualify for Medicaid will be green-card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants and citizens of the Freely Associated States \u2014\u00a0meaning the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau \u2014 who are lawfully residing in the U.S..<\/p>\n<p>The law still allows states like Colorado, however, to provide coverage to pregnant and postpartum women and children under the age of 19, regardless of their status. Colorado also has a separate contraceptive coverage program for undocumented immigrants that is purely funded through the state\u2019s general fund and that will not be affected.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But the programs could still face pressure in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The state\u2019s general fund is projected to face <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colorado-gov-jared-polis-legislature-budget-fallout-federal-tax-law\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a nearly $800 million deficit<\/a> this fiscal year due to a loss in tax revenue as a result of the federal budget law. On top of that, the state will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/medicaid-cuts-colorado-democrats-health-care-leaders-object\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">see losses in federal Medicaid funding<\/a> that could balloon to $3 billion in future years as more federal cuts go into effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Flores-Brennan, the state Medicaid director, said her department will do all that it can to ensure eligible Medicaid populations and care services aren\u2019t being eliminated in Colorado as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019re continually surprised at the number of changes, the volume of changes that are coming at us from the federal government,\u201d Flores-Brennan said. \u201cThere\u2019s really no place where we aren\u2019t looking for cost containment strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regarding private insurance, the federal budget law makes many of those same groups that will no longer receive Medicaid also ineligible for subsidized plans under the ACA beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It also bars people with Temporary Protected Status and DACA recipients from subsidized plans, and it eliminates eligibility for ACA enrollment for immigrants with incomes under 100% of the federal poverty level beginning on Jan. 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Colorado will still be able to offer coverage regardless of immigration status through its OmniSalud plan. But the plan could face much greater demand once more immigrants become ineligible for ACA subsidies.<\/p>\n<p>Conway, the insurance commissioner, said that it will be a challenge as the state tightens its belt in response to federal cuts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colorado-health-care-policy-insurance-rates-surge-lawmakers-start-over\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">loss of enhanced tax credits for health care premiums<\/a>, another repercussion of the federal budget law, will mean a roughly $100 million hit to the state\u2019s marketplace subsidy programs, according to Conway.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That means there will be less money available to go to OmniSalud as the state looks to use state funds to stabilize measures like its reinsurance program. Conway said OmniSalud will likely have to cut its budget next year from about $90 million to $25 million, decreasing enrollment from around 12,000 to 2,700.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of focus on doing as much as we can to keep as many people covered,\u201d Conways said. \u201cBut it\u2019s a difficult time to find funding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The emergency entrance sign at Aspen Valley Hospital directs patients to urgent care services.Madison Osberger-Low\/The Aspen Times Health&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":127582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[210,1141,1142,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-127581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114990093870925154","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}