6 Free Therapy Sessions for Adults—Funded by a New Fee on Your Internet Bill

What This Bill Actually Does

The core problem this bill tries to solve is the high barrier to entry for mental health care. SB26-008 creates the Adult Mental Health Services Program to give eligible Colorado adults quick, free access to therapy. Modeled loosely after the state's popular I Matter youth program, this initiative would cover up to six therapy or substance use disorder sessions for any adult, whether conducted in person or via telehealth.

To make this happen, the bill directs the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to contract a vendor to build a central web portal. Through this website, users could take an initial mental health screening, find providers who have open appointments, and book their six free sessions. The system is also designed to match patients with providers who accept their regular health insurance, making it easier for patients to transition to ongoing, long-term care once their free state-funded sessions run out.

Because mental health care isn't cheap, the state needs a dedicated revenue stream to pay the therapists. The bill establishes the Mental Health Services Enterprise, a government-owned business entity designed to operate outside of standard taxpayer funding and TABOR limits. This enterprise is granted the authority to levy a new Mental Health Services Access Surcharge on every broadband internet account in Colorado. Capped at 25 cents per month, this fee would be collected directly by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Once the primary therapy program is fully funded each year, any leftover revenue from the internet surcharge would go toward a new Internet-Enabled Mental Health Access Grant Program to fund tech companies and non-profits developing digital mental health tools.

What It Means for You

If you pay an internet bill at your home or apartment, you will see a new line-item charge starting January 1, 2027. The fee is capped at 25 cents per month (which comes out to a maximum of $3.00 a year). In exchange for this statewide fee, you and your family members get a substantial new health benefit: six free therapy sessions with a licensed mental health professional.

If you have been putting off talking to someone because of high insurance deductibles, confusing networks, or steep out-of-pocket costs, this portal changes the game. The state will launch a public awareness campaign in late 2026 to let you know the website is live. Once it is, you'll log on, take a quick screening, and browse a registry of participating psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, and addiction counselors. You can book telehealth or in-person appointments directly, no credit card or copay required.

Here is what you should do to prepare and make your voice heard:

• Check your internet bills: Start looking at your current ISP fees and taxes so you can easily spot the new surcharge when it goes live in 2027.
• Share your opinion: Reach out to your state senator or members of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee to voice your support or opposition to the internet fee model before it comes up for a vote.

What It Means for Your Business

The biggest immediate compliance burden from this bill falls entirely on Internet Service Providers (ISPs). If your company provides broadband internet in Colorado, you will be legally required to collect this surcharge from your customers, state it separately on their billing statements, and remit it monthly to the state enterprise. To offset the administrative headache, ISPs are allowed to deduct and keep 1 percent of the collected surcharges. Failing to collect or correctly remit the fee brings steep financial consequences: a 15 percent penalty on the estimated delinquent amount, plus 1 percent interest per month.

If you run a private therapy practice, this bill represents a massive pipeline of new, fully funded clients. You will need to apply and demonstrate eligibility to the state to get on the portal's registry. The state anticipates reimbursing participating providers at roughly $134.51 per session. Additionally, tech companies, web developers, and digital health startups have two major opportunities here: bidding on the $1M+ contract to build the state portal, and applying for funds through the grant program to develop new mental health apps.

If you run a standard small business—say, a restaurant, a retail shop, or a construction firm—your costs will rise very slightly based on how many internet accounts you maintain. More importantly, this program becomes a free wellness perk you can point your stressed employees toward, effectively supplementing your existing benefits package without raising your HR budget.

Here is what business owners should do this week:

• Therapists and Counselors: Bookmark the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) website and watch for the vendor portal rollout so you can register your practice early and capture the initial wave of patients.
• ISPs and Telecom Operators: Consult with your billing software providers now to ensure your systems can automatically parse, collect, and remit a flat 25-cent state fee starting January 1, 2027.
• Tech Vendors: Prepare your government contracting teams for a Request for Proposal (RFP) related to building the central telehealth website, which has a projected $1 million development budget for FY 2026-27.

Follow the Money

The fiscal note for this bill is highly detailed and paints a clear financial picture. By taxing an estimated 2.4 million internet accounts in Colorado, the new enterprise will generate $3.56 million in FY 2026-27 (since the fee only kicks in halfway through the fiscal year in January) and $7.1 million annually after that. The state expects it will cost about $1.8 million in the first year to build the web portal, hire 4.5 full-time employees, and run a $450,000 public awareness campaign. The state's General Fund will spot the program roughly $97,000 to get it off the ground before the fee revenue starts rolling in.

Once the program is fully operational in FY 2027-28, the state expects to spend about $7.1 million a year directly on provider payments. Assuming an average reimbursement rate of $134.51 per session and an average of 4.3 sessions per user, this budget will cover care for just over 12,000 eligible adults annually. Because this is structured as an "enterprise fund," the $7.1 million collected is entirely exempt from TABOR limits and will not impact your annual state tax refund.

Where This Bill Stands

SB26-008 was introduced in the Senate on January 14, 2026, by primary sponsors Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Representative Lindsay Gilchrist. It is currently assigned to the Senate Health & Human Services Committee, where it awaits its first hearing.

This bill has strong conceptual momentum because it directly mirrors the highly successful I Matter program for Colorado youth, which proved there is massive, bipartisan demand for accessible, state-funded therapy. However, the funding mechanism—a universal fee on broadband internet service—is likely to face serious pushback from telecom lobbyists, anti-tax advocates, and working families sensitive to the rising, nickel-and-dime costs of utility bills. Expect fierce debate in committee over whether an internet fee is an appropriate or fair way to fund statewide health care.