Colorado Moves Closer to Choice Option

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper's Policy Director, Lorez Meinhold told ADAPT that the state has every intention to apply for the Community First Choice Option. This past July in the Governor's office when ADAPT asked directly that Gov. Hickenlooper commit to the CFC Option, the governor would only say that he understood the request.

Although she did not give a firm commitment to the CFC Option in the Affordable Care Act, Ms Meinhold was able to say that the state is ready to move forward with Community First Choice. Back in July Gov. Hickenlooper said he did believe it was a good idea and that he wanted to avoid delay in Colorado's progress like the state did in 2005 when Colorado missed out on the first federal offering of the Money Follows the Person grant.

The details are still a sticking point for the state. Ms Meinhold stated that although Colorado is ready, the department was waiting for the final rules and regulations to move forward.

Dawn Russell, the ADAPT organizer from Denver, showed Ms. Meinhold an email that directly stated that states need not wait for final rules to apply and that New York specifically was moving forward with CFC Option. The ADAPT group encouraged Ms Meinhold to follow-up. They also suggested that the state begin with the creation of the "Implementation Council" that is part of the CFC Option.

"This is definitely good news for the state of Colorado," said an ADAPT activist at the meeting. "I remember 2005 when this state missed out on the Money Follows the Person Grant. That delay not only cost our state millions of federal Medicaid dollars, but also trapped many citizens in expensive institutions.