By Sydney Byer, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Initiatives, Next50
Colorado lawmakers wrapped up the 2026 legislative session on May 13, leaving behind another tough year of cuts and difficult decisions. Lawmakers passed over 400 bills, while more than 150 others fell short for several reasons like budget constraints, political disagreements, threats of the Governor’s vetoes, and time. The biggest shadow over the session was a roughly $1.5 billion budget shortfall that forced difficult tradeoffs throughout. Here is a look at what passed, what it does, and why it matters if you are aging in Colorado.
As a private foundation, Next50 did not take positions on any piece of legislation this year, and the summary below is for general education purposes.
Budget Background
It helps to understand the financial backdrop. The state’s $46.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27 required cuts across programs that many older Coloradans rely on. Medicaid absorbed the biggest reductions, with the majority of provider reimbursement rates cut by 2 percent. This includes providers who are delivering in-home, long-term care who are already underpaid direct care workers. This will likely affect wages and could contribute to workforce shortages that make care harder to access. Like last year, state funding for Area Agencies on Aging remained flat despite growing need across the state.
One budgetary win for aging advocates was the fact that the Colorado Senior Property Tax Exemption remained in the budget. This provides qualifying Coloradans 65 and older with hundreds of dollars in annual tax relief, a meaningful amount for those on fixed incomes.
Protecting Pocketbooks
A few meaningful consumer protections made it through. HB26-1110 or the ASSET Act authorizes bank tellers to intervene and can delay a transaction when they have reasonable cause to believe a vulnerable adult is being financially exploited. ‘Financial fraud is also costly, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting the total financial loss of financial fraud at $211 million statewide in 2024, up 314% since 2020 (Common Sense Institute). Financial exploitation is one of the most common and damaging forms of elder abuse, and giving frontline employees a concrete tool to act early could prevent significant harm before it occurs. The measure, if signed by the Governor, would take effect in August.
Also taking effect in August if signed by the Governor, HB26-1210 prohibits companies from using individuals’ online activity, also known as surveillance data, to set personalized prices. Personalized pricing based on browsing habits can quietly make things more expensive for consumers, including older adults.
New Guardrails on AI
Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping healthcare decisions, and HB26-1139, if signed by Governor Polis, would establish some important guardrails. Health insurers using AI to review coverage requests cannot rely solely on population-level data and decisions must be grounded in each patient’s individual medical history and clinical circumstances. The bill also prohibits insurance companies from covering psychotherapy services conducted entirely by an AI system. The requirement that AI-driven coverage decisions reflect personal medical context is a meaningful protection, particularly for older adults who often have complex, individualized health histories.
Meanwhile, the newly signed SB26-189 updates Colorado’s 2024 AI accountability law, which had proven difficult to implement in practice. The revised framework maintains the requirement that companies notify consumers when AI is being used to make consequential decisions like those affecting employment, housing, or financial lending. Age bias has often been exacerbated by AI systems, particularly for older adults in the workforce, and transparency allows individuals to understand how AI is used to make important decisions.
Housing and Homelessness
Housing stability remains one of the most pressing affordability challenges for older Coloradans, and several passed bills seek to address it. Yet to be signed, HB26-1202 builds new infrastructure for Colorado’s response to homelessness. It allows combinations of local governments to form political subdivisions to coordinate strategies, permits counties to direct real estate filing fee revenue toward affordable housing, and directs the Department of Local Affairs to develop a statewide homelessness prevention and reduction plan. This brings coordination to an area where Colorado has had little prior.
The HOME Act (HB26-1001) adds another tool by streamlining approval processes and removing barriers to building housing on public and nonprofit land, helping to increase overall housing stock for Coloradans, including older Coloradans who face growing challenges around aging in place and affordability.
Impacts for Older Workers
Two developments stand out for older working Coloradans. HB26-1010 strengthens the voice of older workers by improving their representation on relevant workforce boards and commissions, increasing collaboration across state agencies. This will also create new public reporting requirements, building more visibility into the needs of older workers in Colorado’s economy.
Separately, HB26-1289 permanently removes the age cap on the Earned Income Tax Credit that previously excluded anyone over 65. This recognizes that many Coloradans are working later in life and deserve the same support as their younger peers. This bill has also yet to be signed by Governor Polis.
A Few More
A few other bills that passed that impact older Coloradans include:
- The Dementia Care Transparency Act (HB26-1107) requires long-term care facilities that advertise dementia or memory-care services to provide families with a standardized form, making it easier to understand a facility’s safety protocols, staff training, discharge criteria, family involvement opportunities, and fee structures. This became law in early May.
- Resentencing for Long-Serving Older Incarcerated People (SB26-115) that has yet to be signed by the Governor would open a three-year window beginning in August during which Coloradans in state prisons who are 60 or older and have served at least 20 years may petition a court for resentencing. Research like that done at the Vera Institute consistently shows that older individuals who have served long sentences pose significantly lower public safety risks.
- Finally, a study Commission on Medicaid spending (SB26-187) will meet up to 12 times before the next legislative session, with a report due to the General Assembly by December 11, 2026; how Colorado addresses Medicaid’s structural challenges in the months ahead will have profound consequences for older adults in the years to come given both state budget challenges and federal changes to the program.
Missed Opportunities
While several important bills passed, others that could have provided direct financial relief for older Coloradans did not make it through. One example is HB26-1267, the Medical Debt Protection Act, which would have established consumer protections around medical debt, but failed to pass. Medical debt is one of the leading drivers of financial instability for older adults. HB26-1022 failed to be passed again after Governor Polis vetoed it last year; it would have allowed people 72 or older to opt out temporarily or permanently of jury duty.
What We Will Be Watching For
The 2026 session was defined by financial constraint, and the effects of cuts to Medicaid and aging services will be felt in communities across Colorado. Yet, the bills that passed, like addressing financial exploitation, AI usage in healthcare, housing coordination, and worker equity, reflect a growing recognition that Colorado’s policies need to keep pace with a rapidly aging population. This is why Next50 launched Leverage last year so that there could be another strong voice that shows up, speaks out, and informs legislators of the economic needs of older Coloradans. Next50 will continue tracking how these measures are implemented and what they mean for the people and communities we serve.
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