Adult Medicaid

Adults without Dependent Children Expansion
After April 1, 2012, adults who do not have dependent children receiving Medicaid, and who are at or below 10% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), may apply for Medicaid. Enrollment in the Adults without Dependent Children (AwDC) expansion is limited to 10,000 people due to limited funding.

Who is eligible?
The Adults without Dependent Children (AwDC) Medicaid expansion covers those who are:
   • Ages 19 through 64 who do not have a Medicaid-dependent child;
   • At or below 10% of the FPL, which is about $90 per month for a single adult;
   • Not eligible for Medicaid under any other category; and
   • Not eligible for Medicare.

How can people apply?
People who meet the eligibility criteria can apply the same way as other Medicaid applicants. Specifically, they can:
   • Submit the Application for Medical Assistance or the Application for Public Assistance by mail, or in person at their county department of human/social services or application assistance site. These sites also offer help with completing an application. Locations are listed on the department website.
   • Use Colorado PEAK to submit an application online.

When can Adults without Dependent Children apply for Medicaid?
AwDC medical assistance applications will be accepted starting April 1, 2012. Medicaid benefits for those who are enrolled will begin on May 1, 2012. Any applicant whose eligibility is determined prior to April 1, 2012 will be determined ineligible.

What will the health care benefits be?
   • AwDC clients will receive the same benefits as other Medicaid clients, including mental health services delivered through a Behavioral Health Organization.
   • AwDC clients will be enrolled into the Accountable Care Collaborative program to ensure the coordination of their health care benefits for clients. They will be mandatorily enrolled into a Regional Care Collaborative Organization that serves the region in which they live.

Why is enrollment limited to 10,000 Adults without Dependent Children?
Although the Department estimates that there are about 50,000 Adults without Dependent Children who would meet the eligibility criteria, the Department must limit enrollment to 10,000 individuals to keep the costs within the available funding. Funding for this expansion does not come from the State General Fund, but from new revenue generated by the hospital provider fee through the Colorado Health Care Affordability Act.

How will the eligible applicants be selected to enroll?
Applicants who have been determined eligible will be randomly selected for enrollment into the 10,000 slots. All individuals who have applied and been determined eligible for AwDC between April 1, 2012 and mid-May will be included in the first random selection in mid-May.

Will applicants be randomly selected from the entire state?
The 10,000 enrollment positions are allocated across the state by region. The regions are the same as those used by the department's Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) program. Below is a chart with the estimated enrollment allocation for each region. More information about the allocation methodology and a map of the regions is available on the department website.

What will happen to applicants who were not randomly selected to enroll? Will they have a chance to enroll later?
Eligible applicants not selected in May's random selection, and any eligible applicant who applies afterwards, will be placed on a waitlist and be included in a monthly statewide random selection process to fill any available slots. All eligible applicants will be enrolled starting on January 1, 2014, when the 10,000 person cap will no longer be used.

Will AwDC ever expand beyond the 10,000 person cap?
If funding allows, the Department may increase the enrollment limit beyond 10,000. On January 1, 2014, federal health care reform requires states to provide coverage for adults ages 19 through 64, without Medicaid dependent children, who have incomes up to 133% percent FPL. All eligible applicants will be enrolled at that time.

How can I provide input and follow program decisions?
The department has a stakeholder advisory committee. Meetings are open to the public. Additional information about the advisory committee is available on the department's website, Colorado.gov/hcpf.

Contact:
Customer Service
303-866-3513 or 1-800-221-3943
Improving access to cost-effective, quality health care services for Coloradans - Colorado.gov/hcpf

State of Colorado website information-|
State press release on Adults without Dependent Children-|

Return to Adult Medicaid-|