November 2025

A Season of Gratitude & Community Support

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, CBHC is grateful for the dedicated community mental health professionals, partners, and advocates who work year-round to support the well-being of individuals and families across Colorado. This season is not only a time to reflect and give thanks, but also a reminder of the importance of community, connection, and supporting those who may be facing challenges.

For many, the holidays can bring added stress, financial strain, or isolation. If you or someone you serve could benefit from support with holiday meals or essential resources, we encourage you to connect with your local food bank or community resource center. Many organizations throughout Colorado are offering meal boxes, prepared holiday meals, and emergency food support during Thanksgiving week.

Here are a few statewide resources to help connect individuals and families with assistance:

• Hunger Free Colorado’s Food Finder

• Colorado 2-1-1 Community Resource Directory

• Local County Human Services Offices

• Community-based nonprofits and mutual aid organizations

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone working to ensure that no one in Colorado feels alone or unsupported this holiday season. Thank you for the work you do, the care you provide, and the compassion you show every day.

From all of us at CBHC, we send warm wishes for a safe, healthy, and meaningful Thanksgiving.

CBHC’s 2026 Policy Platform: Protecting the Programs and Services People Need to Thrive

Halloween Budget: A Trick of Stability, A Threat of Future Gaps

Halloween was made all the more spooky this year with the release of Governor Polis’ proposed FY 2026–27 state budget on October 31st. Colorado faces an $850 million structural budget shortfall and a challenging fiscal landscape shaped by federal changes (H.R. 1), slower General Fund revenue growth, and the relentlessly rising cost of Medicaid. 

Overall, the Governor’s proposal largely shields the state’s behavioral health safety net from immediate major cuts, offering predictable funding for critical programs. However, the administration has stressed that Medicaid cost growth is unsustainable and to crowd out other essential investments without intervention. This means that more Medicaid reductions are expected. While this budget maintains stability now, Colorado is already shifting to larger, more challenging budget gaps in the future where the maneuvers previously used to balance the budget will be unavailable.

Behavioral Health

The administration has proposed approximately $4.3 million in General Fund reductions within the BHA, prioritizing long-term efficiency and statutory cleanup. The largest single cut is –$3.0 Million from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) programs (R-03), achieved by ending capacity grants and refinancing existing services. Further reductions include –$551K to consolidate administrative functions under the BHASOs (R-01), –$500K by repealing the Safety Net Technical Assistance Program (R-02), and –$250K by right-sizing funding for care coordination support (R-04).

Medicaid

The Governor’s budget aims to protect core benefits and eligibility while slowing rapidly rising costs. To achieve this, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), which oversees Medicaid, is implementing adjustments focused on payment and administrative changes—not on reducing eligibility.

The budget adds funding to cover rising Medicaid behavioral health capitation costs, ensuring foundational services remain stable. At the same time, the state’s largest cost-containment package (required by the Governor’s Executive Order) reduces Medicaid spending by about $530 million through rolling back planned provider rate increases, reducing incentive and stabilization payments, and adding new utilization controls. 

The state is tightening payment structures rather than reducing access, but these changes mean lower reimbursement rates, smaller incentive pools, and new utilization controls for providers. CBHC will continue monitoring these impacts and advocating for stability across the behavioral health safety net.

Proposed Line Item Eliminations

While the budget holds some stability for the behavioral health budget, the proposal includes the elimination of two important, though smaller, programs overseen by the Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) that will impact CBHC members and statewide capacity:

• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA): This highly valued training and outreach program, which helps communities recognize and respond to mental health challenges, is proposed for elimination. Eliminating the $210K General Fund budget line item for MHFA Colorado would cut CBHC’s contract nearly in half, severely limiting statewide training capacity.

• Disaster Behavioral Health: Repeals HB21-1281 and eliminates the $590K General Fund preparedness and response program. This cut removes dedicated support for local behavioral health coordination during mass-casualty and natural disaster events.

Next Steps: Joint Budget Committee (JBC)

The Governor’s budget proposal is just the starting point. It now moves to the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) for review and deliberation—the most critical phase of the process.

CBHC is closely monitoring and preparing for the upcoming JBC hearing schedule. Our priority remains clear: protect the stability of the behavioral health safety net and oppose cuts that would limit access to care for Colorado’s most vulnerable populations.