What is Estate Recovery?

Federal law requires states to operate an Estate Recovery Program to help pay for the costs of their Medicaid program. We recover medical assistance payments paid on behalf of former Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) members from their estates. We may only recover medical assistance costs from the estates of members who received services in an institutionalized setting or for the cost of services received by members who were age 55 and older. The law also provides exceptions to estate recovery and the ability to compromise claims.