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The second session of the 75th General Assembly passed several pieces of legislation regarding public health. While not all of the public health legislation fell into these groups, three major themes for public health were public health labeling and education, water testing, and immunization.

The General Assembly considered several pieces of legislation regarding health care and health insurance during the second session of the 75th General Assembly. Most of the legislation fell into the following categories: changes to Medicaid, artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, adjustments to scope of practice, and changes to insurance coverage.

The 2026 General Assembly introduced numerous behavioral health bills around licensing and transparency, particularly as they relate to facilities, continuity of care, and administration. 

Additional bills from 2026 address the allocation of resources for behavioral health.

This memorandum provides an overview of Medicaid-related legislation from Colorado’s last five legislative sessions (2022 to 2026). During this period, the General Assembly introduced at least 87 Medicaid-related bills of which 16 bills were lost (18.4 percent). Between 2022 and 2024, approximately 90 percent of all Medicaid-related bills passed. The bill passage rate dropped to 76 percent in 2025 and 65 percent in 2026. 

This memorandum provides an overview of the Colorado laws and regulations related to transgender and nonbinary individuals—specifically those concerning anti-discrimination, education, health care, and criminal justice—and broadly discusses how recent executive orders and federal agency rules impact state programs. It concludes with a list of passed and failed recent legislation regarding the rights and services for this population.

This issue brief summarizes publications on Medicaid that Legislative Council Staff (LCS) has prepared in the last five years.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state insurance program that provides health care coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities.  The federal government establishes general rules and policies for Medicaid, including required services and eligible populations, and each state administers its own Medicaid program.

Using data from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) on Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program), this memo reviews the number of denials of prior authorization requests, the number of annual Medicaid appeals, and the outcomes of those appeals. It concludes with resources for filing an appeal.

This memo covers the clinical, demographic, coverage, and regulatory landscapes of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists as of early 2026. It details the resolution of previous drug shortages, the subsequent restrictions on compounded versions, and the approaches states are taking toward coverage and cost management. Socially, while many patients using these medications for weight loss report the emotional benefit of feeling "normal," emerging research highlights complex challenges such as persistent weight-related stigma and potential entwinement with disordered eating.

Expanding on Legislative Council Staff’s Overview of Artificial Intelligence (AI) memo, this memo focuses on the application of AI for health uses. It details model training, algorithmic equity, and data privacy and security from a health lens. Furthermore, the memo discusses challenges in data privacy and security, highlighting risks such as unauthorized monetization of patient records.

This memo analyzes the rapid growth of state legislation regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and health, which surged from 15 bills introduced in 2023 to 168 bills introduced in 2025. Based on data from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at least 41 states have introduced 247 health and AI bills addressing topics ranging from private sector use to government use. This overview presents annual trends to illustrate the complexities of regulating AI for health.

This memo details the hierarchy of evidence framework, a tool used in health research to rank studies based on their ability to minimize bias and establish trustworthy conclusions. It reviews the strengths and weaknesses of different types of health research studies. Finally, it offers strategic guidance for applying the hierarchy to evidence-based health policymaking, emphasizing the need to balance study design with real-world feasibility and approaches for assessing recommendation strength.

During the 2026 legislative session, House committees of reference will consider 16 functions of Colorado state government and 6 advisory committees subject to sunset review. Sunset laws allow the General Assembly to periodically review the need for state regulations, advisory committees, or state agencies, and to update the law creating the agency or function.

This memo synthesizes evidence regarding the economic impacts of employer-funded health programs and insurance coverage on a company’s financial bottom line. Findings suggest that while interventions in chronic disease management, mental health, and occupational safety can generate positive returns on investment, the magnitude of these impacts remains highly sensitive to company size, program design, and methodological limitations like selection bias.

Aging and ill inmates are the fastest growing population within Colorado prisons. Special needs parole (SNP) is designed to provide early release or parole to incarcerated individuals who have serious, debilitating, or terminal illnesses, or who are advanced age and no longer pose a threat to public safety. Yet, this release mechanism is used infrequently, often due to lack of healthcare services and housing options available upon release to the community.

This issue brief provides an overview of Regional Accountable Entities, organizations responsible for coordinating the physical and behavioral health care of the state’s Medicaid members.

This memorandum addresses patient access to experimental treatments, including access to clinical trials, participation in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Expanded Access Program, and access to treatments under Colorado’s Right to Try Act. Additionally, this memorandum discusses “’Right to Try” legislation in other states and in the U.S. Congress. Finally, the memorandum addresses insurance coverage of experimental treatments administered both within and outside of clinical trials.

This memorandum provides an overview of Colorado’s Medical Aid-in-Dying law, which legalized the practice of prescribing medical aid-in-dying medication to eligible terminally ill patients in Colorado.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state insurance program that provides health care coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities. Colorado’s Medicaid program is known as Health First Colorado and is administered by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). This memorandum provides an overview of recent Medicaid changes under H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). For additional information, see LCS’s memo providing an Overview of Colorado’s Medicaid Program.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state insurance program that provides health care coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities. The federal government establishes general rules and policies for Medicaid, including required services and eligible populations, and each state administers its own Medicaid program.

Many pieces of legislation regarding health care and health insurance made their way through the 75^th General Assembly. The majority of the legislation fell into the following categories: Medicaid, health insurance, access to care, pharmacy and prescription services, rural safety net, abortion, and gender identity.

The Health Care Affordability Act of 2009, House Bill 09-1293, authorized the collection of a provider fee from most Colorado hospitals. Senate Bill 17-267 created the Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) under the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).

The 75^th General Assembly passed numerous pieces of legislation regarding public health. While not all of the public health legislation fell into these groups, three major themes for public health were: emergency preparedness, education and transparency, and behavioral health.

Report No. 2025-TE4

This memorandum provides an overview on the federal immigration system, Colorado’s role in immigration, and patterns of immigration in the state and nationally. It then discusses the impact of immigration on different sectors of the economy and state government programs and services, and highlights recent state legislation to address these issues.

Report No. 2025-TE1