Colorado Office of State Planning and Budgeting: Behavioral Health Funding Study

This study examines funding for public behavioral health services in Colorado. A key focus of the study is funding provided by the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) for indigent (non-Medicaid) individuals. The study reviews the state systems for providing public behavioral health services, including the funding allocation and reimbursement methodologies utilized by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), OBH, and behavioral health service providers. Funding is analyzed in the context of the impacts of Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act. An in-depth examination of the clinical characteristics of the OBH indigent populations is provided in an attempt to identify any unique or distinct needs of the indigent population in an effort to inform the allocation of state funds for this population.