Music Therapy Needs Your Help!
Hello Music Therapy Community,
Budget shortfalls are requiring hard decisions for Colorado's Medicaid program. On October 31st, Jared Polis announced enormous rate reductions for Music Therapy (recognized as Movement Therapy under the waivers in the State of Colorado). Music therapy has been a vital service for thousands of individuals with significant support needs for decades. These cuts range from a -8.63% to -39.23%, a combined 47.86% decrease in reimbursement rates for Music Therapy with a proposed implementation date of spring 2026. These are huge rate cuts and if approved, will be detrimental for our field of music therapy. Small businesses, including Moved by Music, will struggle to stay afloat if these cuts go through and many small businesses have already stated this would terminate their business.
At Moved by Music, we employ twenty employees offering competitive pay rates, sick pay, family leave, HRA contributions, and 401K matching. We service over 350 clients in the Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Western Slope area of Colorado and have been in business for 20 years. Our music therapists are highly trained, holding a four-year to eight year degree, 1,200 clinical training hours, and a board certification. Our clients achieve critical life goals through music-based interventions, addressing physical, cognitive, regulatory, and social/emotional needs.
We urge HCPF to consider alternative solutions that value both clients and providers. While these reductions may seem to offer immediate cost savings, this will only be a short-term solution with significant long-term consequences. Music Therapy helps prevent more intensive and ultimately more expensive placements for individuals who rely on these services. By investing in preventative and supportive therapies like music therapy, we can help maintain individuals' well-being and independence, thereby avoiding the need for more costly institutional or crisis interventions down the line.
The state needs to hear our comments. We have to stand against these rate cuts and we need your help. Please submit comments to the state with the below link. Select “Reduce Movement Therapy to Align with Rate Methodology.”
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScICwCXTX76CHoQuyw7itLi8TK20AQJyGTEgxAEEv8JKx9FEw/viewform
Thank you for your help to keep Music Therapy fully funded in our State!
Hola, comunidad de musicoterapia,
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Los déficits presupuestarios obligan al programa Medicaid de Colorado a tomar decisiones difíciles. El 31 de octubre, Jared Polis anunció reducciones enormes en las tarifas de musicoterapia (reconocida como terapia de movimiento bajo las exenciones del estado de Colorado). La musicoterapia ha sido un servicio vital para miles de personas con necesidades de apoyo significativas durante décadas. Estos recortes oscilan entre el -8.63% y el -39.23%, lo que representa una disminución combinada del 47.86% en las tarifas de reembolso para musicoterapia, con una fecha de implementación propuesta para la primavera de 2026. Estos recortes son enormes y, de aprobarse, serán perjudiciales para nuestro campo de la musicoterapia. Las pequeñas empresas, incluyendo Moved by Music, tendrán dificultades para mantenerse a flote si estos recortes se concretan, y muchas ya han declarado que esto las obligaría a cerrar.
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En Moved by Music, contamos con veinte empleados que ofrecen salarios competitivos, pago por enfermedad, licencia familiar, contribuciones a la cuenta de reembolso de salud (HRA) y aportaciones equivalentes al plan 401(k). Atendemos a más de 350 clientes en Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins y la región de Western Slope en Colorado, y llevamos 20 años en el sector. Nuestros musicoterapeutas cuentan con una sólida formación, con títulos universitarios de cuatro a ocho años, 1200 horas de formación clínica y certificación profesional. Nuestros clientes alcanzan metas vitales importantes mediante intervenciones basadas en la música, abordando necesidades físicas, cognitivas, de regulación y socioemocionales.
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Instamos a la HCPF a considerar soluciones alternativas que valoren tanto a los clientes como a los proveedores. Si bien estas reducciones pueden parecer ofrecer ahorros inmediatos, se trata solo de una solución a corto plazo con importantes consecuencias a largo plazo. La musicoterapia ayuda a prevenir internamientos más intensivos y, en última instancia, más costosos para las personas que dependen de estos servicios. Al invertir en terapias preventivas y de apoyo como la musicoterapia, podemos ayudar a mantener el bienestar y la independencia de las personas, evitando así la necesidad de intervenciones institucionales o de crisis más costosas en el futuro.
El estado necesita escuchar nuestras opiniones. Debemos oponernos a estos recortes de tarifas y necesitamos su ayuda. Por favor, envíe sus comentarios al estado a través del siguiente enlace. Seleccione “Reduce Movement Therapy to Align with Rate Methodology.”
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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScICwCXTX76CHoQuyw7itLi8TK20AQJyGTEgxAEEv8JKx9FEw/viewform
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¡Gracias por su ayuda para que la musicoterapia siga recibiendo financiación completa en nuestro estado!
Perspective from our clients Parents and guardians:
These are a few of the comments that parents/guardians of our clients have shared with the State about the upcoming cuts.
Please feel free to use these talking points in your submissions to HCPF and in letters and phone calls to legislators.
" I am writing as a parent of a young child with significant support needs who receives Movement Therapy (Music Therapy) through the Medicaid waiver system. I am deeply concerned about the proposed rate reductions of up to 39.23%. These cuts would not only jeopardize access to a service that is essential to my child’s development, but would also destabilize an entire field of highly trained providers who serve some of the most vulnerable Coloradans.
Movement/Music Therapy is not a luxury. It is a clinically grounded, goal-based intervention that directly supports regulation, communication, motor development, attention, and emotional well-being. For my child, music therapy is one of the few interventions that consistently helps with emotional regulation, reduction of behaviors, and meaningful engagement. The progress my child has made would not have been possible without this service.
Reducing reimbursement at this scale will force many providers (especially small, community-based agencies) to reduce services, close programs, or shut down entirely, and demand for these services already outweighs the limited number of therapeutic slots available. The resulting loss of access would create downstream harms that are far more costly to the state: increased behavioral crises, higher caregiver burnout, reduced school participation, and greater reliance on emergency, institutional, or long-term supports.
The current proposal is presented as a cost-saving measure, but in reality it shifts costs to families, schools, crisis systems, and higher-acuity Medicaid services. Preventative, supportive therapies like Movement/Music Therapy are the exact types of services that keep children and adults stable in their homes and communities. Cutting them contradicts the goals of sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and person-centered care.
I strongly urge HCPF to reject the proposed reductions and pursue alternative solutions that do not dismantle access to an evidence-based, preventative service relied upon by thousands of Colorado families. Please preserve the current rate structure so that providers can continue delivering these critical services, and so that individuals with complex needs can maintain the stability, safety, and therapeutic support they depend on. "
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" I am the mother of a very active 15 year daughter with Down Syndrome. Music therapy has been transformational for my daughter. Through structured work in piano, drums, and singing, she has built meaningful skills that extend far beyond music.
Her progress—especially in her vocal control, breath support, memory, and confidence—has been extraordinary. She has worked incredibly hard on strengthening her voice, and the improvement in her articulation and self-expression is something I couldn’t have imagined before she began this program. Because of consistent access to high-quality, specialized music therapy, she is developing communication skills, motor coordination, emotional regulation, and a sense of independence. Music gives her a way to connect, participate, and shine.
I truly cannot imagine her not having access to this level of support; the expertise and individualized care of her provider have given her opportunities that profoundly impact her daily life, her confidence, and her long-term growth. This service is not simply an enrichment activity—it is an essential therapeutic support that helps her become the strongest, happiest, and most capable version of herself.
Please DO NOT cut the current rates for music(movement) therapy at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels. Rate reductions of this magnitude will greatly diminish the ability to access music therapy services for individuals with complex health needs because music therapy providers and businesses will no longer be able to financially survive. As an alternative, let us find other reasonable ways to reduce budgetary constraints, such as individualized needs-based benefit maximums. "