A significant shift in Colorado’s approach to addiction care just took shape. In June 2025, Governor Jared Polis signed HB 24‑1045, a bipartisan law that transforms how Coloradans with substance use disorders (SUD) access treatment - removing insurance hurdles, empowering pharmacists to deliver care, and expanding treatment options across the state.
What the New Law Changes
This isn’t just another policy tweak—it’s a strategic pivot toward real access. By eliminating prior authorization barriers and extending prescriptive authority to pharmacists via collaborative agreements, the law helps bridge the gap between diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Some specifics of the law include:
- Insurance providers can no longer block medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for dosage reasons alone.
- Licensed pharmacists can now prescribe and administer FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, and they’ll be reimbursed just like clinics or providers.
- The law broadens who can supervise addiction counselor candidates, including clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors.
- Medicaid members leaving jail or juvenile facilities are now guaranteed a 30-day medication supply and basic case management to support continuity of care.
Plus, addiction treatment appointments via telemedicine must be reimbursed at the same rate as in-person appointments - an important change for rural communities facing transportation or distance barriers.
A Response for Recovery
Colorado has seen overdose deaths climbing steadily, with nearly 1,600 fatalities in 2024 alone. Rural areas and troubled counties have struggled to provide timely care due to limited providers and complex insurance requirements.
HB 24‑1045 changes that dynamic: it lets people begin recovery right where they live, whether at the local pharmacy or via video care, rather than wait for authorization paperwork or travel hours to a clinic.
By lowering those barriers, policymakers hope more people will start treatment quickly - preventing overdose, reducing withdrawal risk, and saving lives.
A Personal Story Behind the Policy
Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen understands this deeply. Inspired by her mother’s decades-long battle with addiction, Pettersen helped create policies that made inpatient treatment more accessible through a Medicaid waiver, which expanded care access by 60% and brought treatment to 48,000 Coloradans in its first year.
That success laid the groundwork for HB 24‑1045. It’s part of a broader effort to dismantle outdated systems and replace them with compassionate, evidence-based care. Colorado’s new legislation is more than another bill—it’s a blueprint for a care-first system. By scrapping outdated rules and centering treatment access, HB 24‑1045 offers a lifeline to people who need it most.
Looking Ahead
This isn’t about shifting funds or fleeting headlines—it’s about reshaping access, equity, and recovery infrastructure in a way that could serve as a model far beyond state lines. With overdose rates still high nationwide, Colorado’s reforms highlight the urgent need for states to rethink addiction care models—and prove that recovery is possible when treatment is accessible, affordable, and stigma-free.