PEOPLEFIRST

PFBHA· April 7, 2026

Coalition policy brief: integration of physical and behavioral health in Colorado Medicaid

First in a series of cross-sector policy briefs from the Alliance — what real integration looks like at the contract, payment, and care-delivery layers.

integration ·medicaid ·policy-brief ·hcpf

Documentary photograph — five adults around a long wood table in a Colorado community-center conference room, mid-conversation, warm late-afternoon window light raking across the room. Real working clothes, real ceramic mugs and stacks of paper. Documentary scale, never staged.DRAFT

The Alliance’s first cross-sector policy brief is now public. Developed collaboratively across providers, payers, and advocates over the last six months, it offers concrete recommendations for how Colorado Medicaid can advance integration of physical and behavioral health.

Recommendations

  1. Align contractual and payment levers across RAE and BHASO arrangements
  2. Reduce duplicative audit and reporting requirements
  3. Identify the situations where managed-care principles can simplify access without reducing equity

Placeholder body content — full brief and PDF download pending client review.