Connect for Health Colorado® and Colorado Medicaid Report Enrollment Gains

November 16, 2015

Contacts: Connect for Health Colorado, Luke Clarke, 720-496-2545, [email protected], Marc Williams, 303-866-3144, [email protected]

 
DENVER — Between Nov.1 and Nov. 15, more than 21,000 Coloradans enrolled in health coverage for 2016, either in private health insurance purchased through the state health insurance Marketplace or in Medicaid, or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), according to new data released today by Connect for Health Colorado® and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

“We are very pleased with the number of initial sign-ups during the first two weeks of Open Enrollment,” said Connect for Health Colorado® CEO Kevin Patterson. “But I want to urge everyone to not put off their 2016 health insurance coverage. New customers and renewing customers have a number of choices to consider. I encourage all of our customers to review their options and complete their enrollment before the last-minute rush.”

Whether you are renewing or enrolling for the first time, you must complete enrollment by December 15, to have coverage January 1, and avoid a gap in your coverage. Connect for Health Colorado customers will have 188 individual plans offered for 2016, up from 176 last year. Open Enrollment runs through January 31.

Open Enrollment began November 1. During the first two weeks, 13,414 people enrolled in private health care coverage through Connect for Health Colorado®, which compares to 9,606 enrollments during the comparable period last year. The coverage gains include 7,394 in Medicaid and 261 in CHP+.

“Connect for Health Colorado and Medicaid continue to reduce the uninsured rate in Colorado,” said Sue Birch, MBA, BSN, RN, executive director, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. “Having health coverage enables Coloradans to take charge of their health by receiving preventive services at the right time, in the right setting and at the right price.”
Key dates and deadlines for individuals and families buying private coverage
• Open Enrollment: November 1, 2015 – January 31, 2016. (You cannot purchase health insurance after this period unless you have a qualifying life-change event, such as marriage, divorce, having a child, losing your employer-sponsored insurance, or moving to Colorado.)
• Last day to enroll for coverage beginning January 1, 2016, is December 15, 2015. You must pay your first-month’s bill by December 25.
• Last day to enroll for 2016 coverage (absent a life change event): January 31, 2016.

Medicaid and CHP+ are open to qualifying individuals year-round.

About Connect for Health Colorado
Connect for Health Colorado is a public, non-profit entity established in law by the Colorado General Assembly in 2011 to create a health insurance Marketplace.  It opened for business on Oct. 1, 2013, for individuals, families and small employers to compare and buy health insurance and apply for tax credits to help make their insurance more affordable. Customers can shop online; get help by phone or chat from expert Customer Service Center representatives; and find in-person assistance from certified brokers and agents, community based certified Health Coverage Guides or Certified Application Counselors. In 2015, the Marketplace enrolled more than 150,000 Coloradans in private insurance and helped nearly 100,000 gain access to new tax credits that made their health coverage more affordable – all while keeping fees among the lowest in the country. For more information: connectforhealthco.com

About the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing: The Department administers the Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus programs as well as a variety of other programs for low-income Coloradans who qualify. For more information about the department, please visit Colorado.gov/hcpf.

Enrollments by county