Medicaid in Colorado: what you may be able to apply for
🔎 Will this affect your green card?
Regular Medicaid does NOT count in the public charge test — receiving it does not affect your green card or immigration application. See details →
What it is
Public health insurance for low-income people, jointly funded by the federal and state governments. It covers doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, pregnancy, and children's care. States run it under federal rules, and each state has its own name and details (California calls it Medi-Cal).
Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program)
Who may qualify
Income limit
- Adults 19-64 (ACA expansion)≤ 138% FPLThe state states this as 133% FPL; with the ACA 5% income disregard it reaches 138% FPL.
- Children 0-18 (Health First Colorado)≤ 142% FPLUp to 142% FPL goes through Health First Colorado (Medicaid); higher-income children (up to 260% FPL) go through CHP+ (see the CHIP entry). Under Cover All Coloradans, children 18 and younger can apply regardless of immigration status (state funds cover undocumented children).
- Pregnancy≤ 195% FPLUp to 195% FPL goes through Health First Colorado (Medicaid); higher-income pregnant people (up to 260% FPL) go through CHP+ (see the CHIP entry). Under Cover All Coloradans, pregnant people can apply regardless of immigration status (state funds cover undocumented people).
Immigration-status rules in this state
Colorado adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, giving Health First Colorado to income-eligible adults 19-64 (up to 138% FPL). Immigrant scope depends on the group. (1) 🌟 Cover All Coloradans (from HB22-1289): effective January 1, 2025, a new law called "Cover All Coloradans" helps children and pregnant people get health coverage no matter what their immigration status is — specifically children 18 and younger and pregnant people (including a postpartum period) who meet the income and household requirements get the same full coverage as Health First Colorado / CHP+ members. The coverage for undocumented children and pregnant people is state-funded. (2) Undocumented adults 19-64 who are not pregnant do not qualify for full Health First Colorado; they can get only Emergency Medicaid (emergencies only, including labor and delivery), regardless of status. (3) OmniSalud: undocumented residents can buy a SilverEnhanced Savings private marketplace plan through Connect for Health Colorado's OmniSalud — this is private marketplace insurance, not Medicaid; do not confuse the two. 🔴 Major federal change: per Health First Colorado, effective October 1, 2026, under federal law (H.R.1) some previously eligible immigrants will no longer be able to receive Health First Colorado — the state lists refugees and asylees, people granted humanitarian parole, people granted withholding of removal, domestic-violence survivors with pending/approved VAWA applications, trafficking survivors with pending/approved victim visa applications, conditional entrants with status granted before 1980, and people with pending green card applications. Groups that keep eligibility: U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals; Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) who meet or are exempt from the 5-year requirement; citizens of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau (COFA); certain Cuban or Haitian entrants; children under 19; and pregnant people or those pregnant within the last 12 months. This is a changing area — rely on the latest official HCPF / Health First Colorado guidance.
How to apply
What you'll need
Proof of identity, income, Colorado residency, and household size; immigration documents as applicable. Coverage for children under 19 and pregnant people is not denied for lack of satisfactory immigration status (Cover All Coloradans). See the official HCPF / PEAK application for the exact document list.
Timeline
Under federal Medicaid rules, an eligibility decision is generally made within 45 days (up to 90 days for disability-based cases); retroactive coverage for up to 3 months before the application month. Confirm CO-specific timing with the official program.
Go to the official application →Colorado PEAK (official online application) · also via your county human services office or Connect for Health Colorado
Will it affect your green card? (Public charge)
✅ Regular Medicaid does NOT count in the public charge test — receiving it does not affect your green card or immigration application.
⚠️ The one exception: Medicaid that pays for long-term institutional care (a long-term stay in a nursing facility or mental-health institution at government expense) DOES count. Everyday doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, and home- and community-based care are not this exception.
➕ Because the current rule excludes all non-institutional Medicaid, Medicaid for children, pregnancy, and emergencies also does not count. In mixed-status families, eligible citizen or qualified children can safely get the care they qualify for.
Public charge is assessed only for people applying for an immigrant visa abroad, or applying for adjustment of status (a green card) inside the United States.
Many categories are exempt by law: refugees, asylees, VAWA self-petitioners, T and U visa applicants, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJ), Cuban/Haitian entrants, and others.
Public charge is generally not assessed when a green-card holder renews their card or naturalizes; a returning green-card holder is assessed only in limited cases (for example, an absence of more than 180 days).
This is information only, not immigration, legal, or tax advice. Public charge and your personal status are complex — consult a licensed immigration attorney. We never tell you whether you "will" or "won't" be affected.
USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 8, Part G, Chapter 7 (benefits considered) and Chapter 3 (who it applies to) — 8 USCIS-PM G.7 / G.3; regulation 8 CFR 212.21–212.23; 2022 final rule 87 FR 55472. · 2022-12-23
Last checked: 2026-07-21
Policies can change — always check the latest official information.
This site is informational only and is not immigration, legal, or tax advice. For public charge and your personal status questions, consult a licensed immigration attorney.
Medicaid in other states
Other benefits in Colorado
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