DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced that the Biden Administration approved Colorado’s inclusive health care plan, meeting a minimum coverage requirement starting in 2023.
The plan applies to Coloradoan with individual plans and small group plans, which applied for employers with less than 100 employees.
Substance use disorder is addressed in the plan by expanding the number of drugs insurance providers need to cover, which includes alternatives to opioids. It also now includes acupuncture.
The plan includes annual mental health and wellness exams, up to one 60-minute visit per year, with a qualified mental health care provider.
Colorado becomes the first state in the country to include gender-affirming care services in it’s public plan. Gender-affirming care is considered mental and physical health services to help a transgender person align their physical body with their gender identity.
He was joined by the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, as well as the Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera.
Commissioner Mike Conway of the Colorado Division of Insurance, Dr. Ellen Montz, the CMS Deputy Administrator and state Senator Brittany Peterson also attended the briefing.
You can watch the event in the FOX31 NOW player above.