Colorado

Statutory floor

Hospitals must screen uninsured patients (and insured patients on request) and offer discounted care at or below 250% FPL. Rates are capped at Medicare or Medicaid base rates. Facility payment plans cannot exceed 4% of monthly household income; remaining balances discharge after 36 on-time payments. Foreclosure on a primary home for hospital debt is banned. Extraordinary collection actions wait 182 days.

C.R.S. §§ 25.5-3-501 to 25.5-3-505 (Hospital Discounted Care); C.R.S. § 6-20-203 · compiled September 2026

Rule	This state
Free-care floor	—
Discount / eligibility floor	250% FPL
Covers insured patients	Yes, if they otherwise qualify
Which hospitals	Generally all licensed hospitals
Medicaid expansion	Yes — adults to 138% FPL
Screen before collections	Yes
Credit reports	Statewide ban (FCRA-preemption fights ongoing)
Debt sales	Not banned
Home liens	Restricted or banned
Wage garnishment	Tighter than the federal 25% cap
Interest on medical debt	Capped near 3%
Collection hold	182 days before certain extraordinary actions
Lawsuit clock	6 years · C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5

2026 poverty line here

Alaska and Hawaii use their own HHS tables. Everyone else uses the 48-state and D.C. figures, effective January 2026.

Household	100%	Free floor	Discount floor
1	$15,960	—	$39,900
2	$21,640	—	$54,100
3	$27,320	—	$68,300
4	$33,000	—	$82,500
5	$38,680	—	$96,700
6	$44,360	—	$110,900

What to do

01 If income is at or under 250% FPL, this is discounted care by statute — chargemaster is not the price.
02 Ask for a 4%-of-monthly-income plan. After 36 payments the facility balance is supposed to be treated as paid.
03 Hospitals must screen uninsured patients before billing. If they skipped screening, say so in writing.
04 Medical debt should not be on a Colorado credit report. Primary-home foreclosure for hospital debt is off the table.

Appeals

Federal No Surprises Act plus Colorado’s out-of-network billing protections.

Insurance: Colorado Division of Insurance — external review

Medicaid: Health First Colorado (HCPF) fair hearing.

Medicare is federal regardless of state: redetermination, reconsideration, ALJ, Appeals Council, then district court.

Cite this in a letter

I request Hospital Discounted Care under C.R.S. §§ 25.5-3-501 to 25.5-3-505. Household income is at or below 250% of FPL. Please screen me, rebill at the Medicare/Medicaid discounted-care rate, and offer a payment plan that does not exceed 4% of monthly household income. Do not take extraordinary collection actions, including foreclosure on a primary residence.

Put a Colorado bill in the machine.

The estimate will use this state’s floors. The letters will cite C.R.S. §§ 25.5-3-501 to 25.5-3-505 (Hospital Discounted Care); C.R.S. § 6-20-203.

Start a Colorado case

Colorado Attorney General

Federal overlay — every state

501(r)
501(c)(3) hospital organizations must publish a Financial Assistance Policy, a plain-language summary, and generally may not take extraordinary collection actions (selling the debt, reporting it, liens, lawsuits) until they have made reasonable efforts to determine FAP eligibility.
No Surprises Act
Emergency services, air ambulance, and many out-of-network clinicians at in-network facilities cannot balance-bill beyond in-network cost-sharing. Independent dispute resolution is between the plan and the provider — not a reason to pay the sticker rate.
FDCPA
15 U.S.C. § 1692g. Within 30 days of first collector contact, demand validation. Until validated, collection and credit reporting should stop. Partial payment can restart a state’s statute of limitations.
EMTALA
Emergency departments must screen and stabilize regardless of ability to pay. An ER bill is not an agreement that chargemaster rates are the cash price.
Medicare appeals
Five levels: redetermination (MAC, 120 days), reconsideration (QIC), ALJ at OMHA, Medicare Appeals Council, then federal district court. A remaining patient balance is often a claim the provider still needs to work.
Credit bureaus
The CFPB’s 2025 medical-debt reporting rule was vacated in July 2025. Industry practice still generally omits paid medical collections and unpaid balances under $500. Unpaid medical debt over $500 can appear after a delay unless a state ban applies. FCRA-preemption fights over those state bans are ongoing.