Nearly 220,000 Coloradans Gained Coverage During 2015 Open Enrollment Period

CONTACTS:
Curtis Hubbard, [email protected], 303-908-2378 (Connect for Health Colorado)
Marc Williams, [email protected]  303-866-3144 (Colorado Medicaid)

DENVER, CO – Between Nov. 15 and Feb. 15, nearly 220,000 Coloradans enrolled in healthcare coverage for 2015, either in private plans purchased through the health insurance Marketplace, or with 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.

During the three-month open enrollment period, 139,652 people enrolled in private coverage through Connect for Health Colorado; another 76,194 in Medicaid and 3,720 in CHP+.  Connect for Health Colorado also enrolled 24,884 individuals in dental plans. Among Connect for Health Colorado customers, 54 percent qualified for financial assistance.

“We are pleased that so many Coloradans took the important step of getting health insurance coverage through us,” said Gary Drews, Connect for Health Colorado Interim CEO. “It is very gratifying for everyone in our organization to have a hand in enrolling more than 139,000 people in our state in coverage in the last 90 days. Those folks will be able to feel more financially secure, become healthier, and — in the case of one man I met at our downtown enrollment center who is planning to get eye surgery with his new coverage — see again.”

Connect for Health Colorado will work with anyone who has started but not yet completed the sign up process to complete their enrollment for 2015 coverage.

The 2016 open enrollment period runs from Oct. 1, 2015, to Dec. 7, 2015. Until then, only those who qualify for a special enrollment period through any one of a number of certain life change events – such  as losing coverage provided through  a job, moving  to Colorado, getting married or the addition of a  child to the  family, will be able to sign up for  new health insurance coverage.

“We are pleased that Coloradans continued to be enrolled into health coverage during the second open enrollment thanks to the tireless work of county and community partners,” said Sue Birch, Executive Director of the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. “Together we are working towards making Colorado the healthiest state.  This year we found that our largest percentage of new Medicaid enrollees were kids, who will now have access to important health and preventive services.”

Medicaid and CHP+ are year-round programs that do not have open enrollment periods.  Click here for a Fact Sheet detailing demographic and county by county breakouts for Medicaid enrollments.

Connect for Health Colorado customers should have received the forms they need for their taxes, Form 1095-A, in the mail. (Only individuals and families who purchased coverage will receive the form; those who have coverage provided through their employer do not need the form and can complete their tax returns without it.) The Form 1095-A enables those who received financial assistance to complete their tax forms. If you have questions about your 1095-A, please contact our Customer Service Center.

Last year, Coloradans who purchased coverage through the Marketplace received more than $250 million in tax credits to help them lower the cost of their health insurance.

Nov. 15 –  Feb. 15

Metrics021915Click to view county metrics

About Connect for Health ColoradoConnect 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 2014, 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.

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