More than half of a person’s health outcomes stem from their social situations, especially safe housing and nutritious food. In 2025, the Colorado Health Institute was contracted by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to assess the benefits and costs of supporting health-related social needs for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) members.
Required under House Bill 23-1300 Continuous Eligibility Medical Coverage, this extensive feasibility study explored the need for services including housing, food and nutrition, extreme weather protection, and social and community support. The study also assessed the cost and benefits of continuous Medicaid eligibility for certain populations.
CHI team members planned and facilitated accessible community listening sessions, held conversations with Medicaid members in Colorado, and conducted key informant interviews with experts in Colorado and in other state Medicaid programs. CHI then used stakeholder priorities to inform additional research, including assessing the effectiveness of similar offerings in other states and modeling the cost and benefits of providing these services in Colorado. Our researchers combined qualitative data with quantitative data from the 2025 Colorado Health Access Survey to arrive at findings.
The final report, drafted and designed by CHI’s team, was published in January 2026. The report was remediated to meet accessibility requirements. The CHI team also provided additional materials to support awareness and understanding of the study, including a plain-language executive summary, two additional fact sheets highlighting the findings, a slide deck for future webinars and meetings, and a communication workplan to ensure all stakeholders who contributed to the study know about the findings.
Since legislation directing this study passed, the federal government has made several policy changes that affect components of this study, including pausing further expansions related to continuous eligibility. Regardless of these policy changes, this benchmark study provides critical data, research, and estimates for possible expansions, as well as the methodology and tools to update them in the future. Similarly, while funding for expansion of health-related social services may be limited, this report lays the groundwork for Colorado and builds collaborative relationships for their successful implementation.
