As the leader of this state’s health insurance marketplace, one of my roles is to ensure I understand the needs of Coloradans and that Connect for Health Colorado can serve residents in the best way possible. One way to do that is to get into communities, learn from you and learn from others.

Recently, some members of Connect for Health Colorado’s leadership team joined me for a two-day meeting with leaders from the Covered California team. It was invigorating to share learnings that each organization respectively can apply to its work.

For example, Covered California shared how they collect and use data about customer behavior within their application. Here in Colorado, we plan to expand our collection of analytics in the coming months and use the data for continuous improvement. Other discussions included our new OmniSalud program, how our call centers operate and how our staff stays engaged. Overall, there were lots of great ideas exchanged and learnings to take away.

Statewide Visits

This week I started my statewide visits to meet with community leaders. I traveled to Ft. Collins this week, I’ll be in Durango in a few weeks, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction in September. I look forward to these opportunities to connect.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

This week, the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) announced that they have asked the courts to move Friday Health Plans of Colorado into liquidation, which will end coverage for Friday Health Plans customers on August 31, 2023. 

As of the announcement Monday night, all Friday Health Plans customers can use a Special Enrollment Period to choose new coverage for the remainder of the year. We have been working closely with the DOI and jointly created this list of Frequently Asked Questions for Friday Health Plans customers. We ask that if you know of a Friday Health Plans customer, point them in the direction of a broker or enrollment center to pick a new plan.

This news of course is unnerving for Connect for Health Colorado customers, as well as our new Colorado Connect customers. I issued a statement reiterating that I am confident we have the enrollment support in place to help these customers enroll with another issuer partner to ensure they don’t experience a gap in coverage. We are also reaching out to everyone enrolled through the Marketplace in a Friday Health Plan to make sure they understand what they need to do.

Thank you to all our staff, enrollment network and to you for helping us get the word out about this so we keep Coloradans covered.

Initial Rates for Plan Year 2024 Released

The Colorado Division of Insurance released initial rates for the 2024 Plan Year. We will continue to monitor and prepare the final rates to be released in October before the Open Enrollment Period.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

Keeping Coloradans Covered all year is an important part of our mission. Our Community Partnership and Outreach team works throughout the year to connect with organizations and consumers around the state. In Denver, we’ve had a busy month supporting Juneteenth and Pride. But you may have also seen us at the Santa Fe Trail Days in Trinidad, Southern Colorado’s Juneteenth festival in Colorado Springs, and Copper Mountain’s BBQ challenge, just to name a few.

Throughout the summer, we will continue to participate in events around the state to remind Coloradans that we are the only place to get financial help with health insurance and that we have a network of Brokers and Assisters to help get them enrolled.

Next month, come see us at the Black Arts Festival in Denver, the El Paso County Fair or the Taste of Pikes Peak.

We’ll look forward to seeing you around!

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

For the first time in more than three years, Coloradans who are no longer eligible for Health First Colorado (the state’s Medicaid program) or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) have started to lose their coverage. As people begin to lose Medicaid, we’re ramping up our joint efforts with State partners, community partners, and our enrollment network to keep Coloradans covered. Read more in a press release we issued this week.

As a reminder, people who lose Medicaid or CHP+ coverage will have a Special Enrollment Period through July 31, 2024 to sign up for other health coverage. Health coverage options for those losing Medicaid could include health insurance through a job, getting coverage through another family member’s plan, or buying a plan using our Marketplace.

Juneteenth

Help us celebrate at Denver’s Juneteenth Festival, Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18.  We’re hosting a block party on 25th and Welton Streets. Other organizations are joining us on the block with resources available to Coloradans. Denver’s very own DJ Squizzy will join us and you can get your exercise by participating in our family work out sessions with Thal Woods. We hope to see you there.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

Yesterday, the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) announced that Friday Health Plans would begin to wind down its business activities throughout the country, including in Colorado.

I issued a statement noting the DOI has confirmed that, based on the company’s current standing, Friday Health Plans of Colorado has sufficient capital to continue for the remainder of 2023. Current customers who are enrolled through Friday Health Plans on Connect for Health Colorado and Colorado Connect will continue to stay covered by their plan. We are staying closely aligned with the Division of Insurance as they continue to evaluate Friday Health Plans’ situation in Colorado.

Our network of Brokers and Assisters can help customers if they have questions about coverage this year.

In the News

The Colorado Sun covered the story about Friday Health Plans.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

Colorado’s legislative session wrapped up Monday, May 8^th for “sine die”, Latin for “without day.”

We participated in conversations related to health care throughout the session and remain committed to our implementation role for new legislation that has passed.  Most notably, legislation regarding Colorado Option plans (HB23-1224) tasks us with leading a stakeholder and customer research process to allow customers to more easily identify and compare Colorado Option plans on our platform. We look forward to working with Brokers, Assisters, advocates, issuers, and customers to ensure that our customers find the best plans for their needs.

No New Friday Health Plan Enrollments for 2023

The Colorado Division of Insurance announced in a consumer advisory that Friday Health Plans will not take new enrollments for Plan Year 2023 starting Tuesday, May 9. As a result of this, people in Colorado who are not already enrolled in a Friday Health plan won’t be able to select a Friday Health plan through Connect for Health Colorado or Colorado Connect. People who are already enrolled in a Friday Health plan for 2023 will continue to stay in their current plan.

I issued a statement about what this means, assuring current customers they will retain coverage.

The Denver Business Journal and Alamosa News wrote about this topic.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

This week, I traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with both colleagues and policy makers. I enjoyed connecting with other state-based Marketplace leaders and sharing both ideas and our successes.

I also met with Congressional staff who advise our elected leaders on health care policy, as well as Biden Administration officials to discuss the upcoming Medicaid unwind. I shared my confidence that we can help Coloradans transitioning from Medicaid to get affordable coverage on our Marketplace. I used our recent By the Numbers report to showcase how many Coloradans recently benefited from the extra subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan and extended through the Inflation Reduction Act, making their coverage affordable. If you know anyone who needs to find new coverage, please send them our way. Our staff and our network of Brokers and Assisters are ready to help these customers enroll.

It was also a great chance to share the success of OmniSalud, which enrolled more Coloradans than our projections (see page 4). I was able to thank the Administrator and Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) Director for their open communication on operational policies they have started this year.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

Spring finally feels like it is arriving. And with that, we’ve had time to crunch our numbers and share the success of our most recent Open Enrollment Period.

We just published By the Numbers, which provides a comprehensive look at the Open Enrollment Period data and outcomes. We are excited to share that 212,174 Coloradans are covered through the Marketplace and through the OmniSalud program.

This new report includes detailed information such as average costs and enrollments by county through interactive maps.  We also note the significance of Broker and Assister enrollment assistance, share our new marketing videos and feature how many Coloradans enrolled in Colorado Option Plans. Other highlights are outlined in our press release.

Dive into the report now.

In the News

This week, I participated in a panel hosted by the Colorado Sun about the Medicaid unwind work. The panel included Division of Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway, Health Care Policy and Finance Executive Director Kim Bimestefer, and Colorado State Association of Health Underwriters President Meagan Fearing. Colorado Sun’s health reporter John Ingold facilitated this important conversation about ensuring Coloradans know their options for staying covered if they roll off Medicaid.

Public Benefit Corporation Annual Report

In December of 2020, Connect for Health Colorado established a wholly owned subsidiary organized as public benefit corporation under Colorado law doing business as Colorado Connect. Recently, the organization published its Annual Report.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado

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 [LC1]Link to report hosted in media library

If you haven’t heard yet, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance (HCPF) announced on Friday that they will resume standard eligibility renewal and disenrollment processing for individuals receiving Health First Colorado or CHP+ benefits. You may recall this was standard practice before the Public Health Emergency began in March 2020, but has not occurred since.  

I participated in a press conference at the State Capitol with other health care leaders, to ensure that Coloradans know we are working closely with HCPF throughout this process and are ready to help those rolling off Medicaid stay covered.

Since the Medicaid continuous coverage provisions went into place nearly three years ago, we’ve implemented big changes to make health insurance plans more accessible and affordable.

For example, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act, Connect for Health Colorado has been able to offer greater savings to more people. Currently, 75 percent of our customers qualify for financial help. And, two out of three customers can find a plan for $25 per month or less with financial help applied.

Colorado’s Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise has also provided financial assistance to people on our Marketplace whose incomes are just over the limit to qualify for Medicaid. For the past two years, tens of thousands of individuals qualified for even more health care savings on things like copayments, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.

So, as the standard eligibility and renewal process begins in a few months, we will be ready to help Coloradans fins a plan that is right for their families. Much more to come as the Colorado Division of Insurance finalizes the regulation for these folks to have extended special enrollment periods. We will continue to share our plans and coordination efforts in the months to come.

In the News

Colorado Public Radio and State Reform covered the news of the Medicaid unwind.

Take care,

Kevin Patterson, MURP, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Connect for Health Colorado