More than a half-million people in Colorado have been disenrolled from their public health care, following the conclusion of policies that were put in place to safeguard public insurance coverage during the COVID-19 health emergency.
Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment in Colorado has fallen from more than 1.7 million to less than 1.2 million between March 2023 and October 2024, according to health care research nonprofit the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
Why It Matters
As well as thousands losing their coverage, a recent study by the Colorado Health Foundation and the Colorado Futures Center at Colorado State University found that the unwinding process had a profound impact on the state’s economy.
It found that the economy could have contracted by as much as 1 percent, if one assumes a high-end estimate (504,530) of the number of otherwise-eligible Coloradans being unenrolled.
David Zalubowski/AP Photo
What To Know
The drop in those with Medicaid and CHIP coverage in Colorado is 30 percent, above the national average of 16 percent. Colorado’s overall disenrollment rate of 53 percent is also close to the worst among states with available data, despite it seeing fewer disenrollments than Texas and Florida.
The number of individuals who either failed to disenroll or were unable to do so is particularly concerning, as studies indicate that many have lost coverage because of administrative barriers, even though they remain eligible.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, included a provision requiring states to maintain Medicaid and CHIP coverage for enrollees for the next three years. After it expired in March 2023, eligibility checks recommenced, and the number of those enjoying Medicaid and CHIP coverage dropped from 94.2 million to 79.3 million in October 2024, according to KFF.
KFF has noted that many individuals were unable to renew their policies or complete redeterminations as a result of delays or other administrative issues, rather than a loss of eligibility. Research also found a notable lack of understanding regarding the “unwinding process.”
Multiple surveys carried out following the expiration of the continuous enrollment provision found that many were unaware of the implications for their health insurance.
KFF also discovered that 69 percent of those disenrolled had their coverage terminated because of “procedural issues,” including factors like incorrect contact information or the enrollee’s failure to comprehend or submit renewal documents on time.
What People Are Saying
Kaiser Family Foundation in September 2023: “High procedural disenrollment rates are concerning because many people who are disenrolled for these paperwork reasons may still be eligible for Medicaid coverage.”
Colorado Health Foundation and the Colorado Futures Center at Colorado State University, in their 2025 report, The Economic Impact of Medicaid Disenrollments in Colorado: “The Medicaid disenrollment crisis of the last 18 months has not only impacted individuals but reverberated across Colorado’s health care system and economy as a whole.
“As a result of the disenrollments of those who may otherwise qualify for coverage, the state’s economy is now smaller, its workforce more limited, and more Coloradans are struggling to afford the health care coverage they need.”
What Happens Next
As of October, KFF reports that enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP stands at 79.3 million, down from a peak of 94.5 million in April 2023, but still higher than the pre-pandemic level of 71.4 million in February 2020. While disenrollments have slowed, the nonprofit expects them to continue.
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