CONTACTS:
Curtis Hubbard, [email protected], 303-908-2378 (Connect for Health Colorado)

DENVER – Connect for Health Colorado® customers saved more than $250 million on their health premiums in 2014 for coverage purchased through the Marketplace.

Across the state, Coloradans received $251.6 million in financial assistance through Connect for Health Colorado to lower their costs last year. These savings were more than a number of big-ticket items, such as: the worldwide gross for one of this year’s Best Picture Oscar nominees (Grand Budapest Hotel, $170 million); the cost of CDOT’s Twin Tunnels project ($160 million);  the Denver Broncos 2014 payroll ($151 million).

“Nearly 6 in 10 Connect for Health Colorado customers qualified for financial assistance last year in the form of premium tax credits to reduce costs,” said interim CEO Gary Drews. “The average savings was $262 per month, which is a significant help in our mission to increase access, choice and affordability for those buying health insurance in Colorado.”

Altogether, customers in the Top 10 counties for financial assistance in the state received more than $160 million in savings.

ARAPAHOE	$22.74 million
WELD	$21.87 million
DENVER	$21.86 million
JEFFERSON	$16.8 million
BOULDER	$16.3 million
ADAMS	$16.3 million
EL PASO	$14.19 million
LARIMER	$12.55 million
EAGLE	$9.17 million
DOUGLAS	$8.4 million
TOTAL	$160.22 million

Rural counties with smaller populations accounted for the 10 counties with the smallest totals financial savings — though on the whole customers there received a total of $1.64 million in assistance.

LINCOLN	$220,129
COSTILLA	$210,606
SEDGWICK	$199,194
HINSDALE	$181,145
BACA	$178,227
SAN JUAN	$175,062
MINERAL	$170,314
JACKSON	$157,012
KIOWA	$76,232
CHEYENNE	$72,879
TOTAL	$1.64 million

For a full list of savings in all 64 counties, click here.

The Feb. 15 deadline to purchase 2015 coverage is rapidly approaching, but it’s not too late for those who have yet to sign up for insurance to get in on the savings. Connect for Health Colorado is the only place where Coloradans, based on income, can qualify for financial assistance to lower their costs.
For customers who have started the application process by the February 15 deadline, but could not finish, Connect for Health Colorado will work with you to complete your enrollment.

There are more than a dozen walk-in Enrollment Centers across the state where certified Brokers and Health Coverage Guides provide one-on-one assistance. Locations and hours can be found online at: connectforhealthco.com/resources/person-help/

Coloradans can also sit down with an expert to walk through the entire process.  Go to one of our enrollment centers, or search by zip code to find free, in-person help from a statewide network of more than 400 trained and certified Health Coverage Guides and 1,300 Health Insurance Brokers. To look up an enrollment center by location and hours of operation, or find a local Broker or Health Coverage Guide in your community, visit: connectforhealthco.com/resources/person-help/

Find stories about some of the people who obtained help with their health insurance coverage last year and more facts in the Connect for Health Colorado Annual Report.

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. A health insurance Marketplace built just for Colorado, it launched 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, community based certified Health Coverage Guides or Certified Application Counselors.   The open enrollment period for individuals and families for 2015 coverage is Nov. 15, 2014 through Feb. 15, 2015. For more information: www.connectforhealthco.com