Medicare and health costs

Health First Colorado (Medicaid) in Colorado

Health First Colorado is Colorado's Medicaid program. For people 65 and older it can pay health costs Medicare doesn't, and the income limit is the SSI amount.

Checked Oct 28, 2026

From the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF)

An older woman in her kitchen reads a letter from the day's mail

People who need nursing-home care, or help at home through the Elderly, Blind, and Disabled (EBD) Waiver, may qualify with income up to three times that amount.

How to apply in Colorado

Online: co.gov (official government site)
By phone: 1-800-221-3943
In person: At your county of residence's local human services office, or at a local application assistance site.
By mail: Download and print a paper application from HCPF's forms page and mail it in.
Who runs it: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) (official government site)

Applying is free. Nobody should charge you to apply.

Apply on the official site

Who may qualify in Colorado

Who may qualify for Health First Colorado
	One person	Married couple
Income limit (2026)	$994 a month (the SSI amount)	$1,491 a month (the SSI amount) Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (source 1)
Savings limit (2026)	$2,000	$3,000 Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (source 2)

Spend-down if your income is over the limit	No Source: KFF (source 4)
Income limit for nursing-home or home-care Medicaid (2026)	$2,982 a month (300% of the SSI amount); people with higher income may need an income trust Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (source 1)
Medicaid for adults under 65 (expansion)	Yes: adults without dependent children may qualify with household income up to 133% of the poverty level Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (source 2)

How Colorado is different

Where Colorado's rules differ from the federal rules for Medicaid for people with Medicare.

Help at home through the Elderly, Blind, and Disabled (EBD) Waiver for people 65 and older who would otherwise need nursing-home care

Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (source 2)

Good to know

For the EBD Waiver you must be 65 or older with a functional impairment and living in, or at risk of moving to, a nursing facility or hospital. Savings must be under $2,000 for one person or $3,000 for a couple.
Nursing-home residents keep a personal needs allowance of $110.36 a month (2026).

Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (source 2)

Free help

Free help with this in Colorado

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Colorado. Trained counselors go through your costs and choices with you, and they don't sell plans.
1-888-696-7213
Colorado Division of Insurance website
Colorado State Unit on Aging
Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with meals, rides, help at home, caregiver support and applying for benefits.
1-800-677-1116
Colorado Department of Human Services, State Unit on Aging website

More help in Colorado

Medicaid for older adults in another state

Sources

Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, HCPF OM 25-073: 2026 Social Security Cost of Living Adjustments (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, Programs for Individuals with Physical or Developmental Disabilities (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
Health First Colorado (Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing), Apply Now (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
KFF, Medicaid Eligibility Levels for Older Adults and People with Disabilities (Non-MAGI) in 2026. Checked Oct 28, 2026.

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