To Our Valued Stakeholders,

We took an important step forward this week with our board’s decision to move ahead on building a new eligibility system. With our own system, we will be able to provide customer’s a better application and enrollment experience and at the same gain more control and predictability for IT expenses.

A simplified path for enrolling with financial help can be expected to help us grow enrollment while getting more Coloradans the Advance Premium Tax Credit and Cost Share Reduction benefits that they are eligible to receive. We will continue to support Health First Colorado (Medicaid) enrollments and ensure that customers are routed to the right program, whether they begin at our site or with the PEAK application.

The new system will be in place for our next Open Enrollment Period. Learn more details about our plan.

We will be providing regular updates and taking stakeholder input as we progress.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

We were all glad to see the good news this week with the six-year reauthorization of the Child Health Insurance Plan. Known as Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) in Colorado, the program serves 75,000 children in the state and 800 pregnant women. They will be receiving notice from the department of Health Care Policy and Financing next week.

Learn more about sample letters, updates and statements from the department.

Tax Form Mailing

We are in the process of an important mailing of our own these days. Our customers will start receiving their Forms 1095-A next week. The form reports coverage dates and tax credit assistance levels to support them in filing their 2017 tax return. Copies of the form are also uploaded to online accounts.

Board Advisory Group

The Connect for Health Colorado Board Advisory Group currently has openings for a health insurance company representative and a provider representative. The deadline to apply is Friday, February 2, 2018. Learn more about these positions.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

We concluded our fifth Open Enrollment period last Friday with more than 165,000 plan submissions. That was nearly as many plan selections as we saw in our last Open Enrollment period, which was 22 days longer.

We have shifted gears for Special Enrollment Periods that have brought in thousands of customers each month in years past. Anyone whose 2017 plan was not offered for this year has until midnight March 1 to select a health plan and, of course, anyone experiencing a qualifying life change event such as marriage, divorce, having a child or losing employer-sponsored health insurance can enroll in a special enrollment period.

As we reported in a media release Tuesday, the numbers are in line with our target and assumptions that went into our annual budget.

Looking forward on reform

I had the opportunity to take part in a panel presentation last week with The Century Foundation on “Health Reform 2020.” The discussion on marketplaces that I took part in begins at 1:39 in this video and my portion on customers’ needs and Colorado begins at 2:12.

Take care,

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

Contact: Luke Clarke 720-496-2545

[email protected]

DENVER — More than 165,000 Coloradans selected healthcare coverage for 2018 through the state health insurance Marketplace by the close of Open Enrollment, according to new data released today by Connect for Health Colorado®.

“These are positive results that show us holding steady and in line with our targets for the year,” said Connect for Health Colorado CEO Kevin Patterson. “Despite the uncertainty that created some confusion in the market, we have seen volumes that nearly match last year’s longer Open Enrollment Period. I am happy to see so many families and individuals put this protection for their health and financial well-being in place for the year. We will be reporting our results in coming weeks in our annual End of Open Enrollment Report.”

The Open Enrollment Period for Coloradans who buy their own health insurance was 22 days shorter this year than last year’s period ¬— one that was extended three days past the original deadline of January 31, 2017, to accommodate a last-minute rush in sign-ups. The next Open Enrollment Period will begin November 1, 2018.

By the close of this year’s Open Enrollment, Coloradans had selected 165,777 medical insurance plans, an increase of 3 percent over the 160,968 medical plan selections for same date in 2017. When the last Open Enrollment Period closed on Feb. 3, 2017, the number of plan selections had reached 172,361.

Enrollments remain open through March 1, 2018, for anyone whose 2017 health plan was not offered for 2018. In addition, Coloradans who experience a qualifying life change event, such as marriage, divorce, having a child, losing their employer-sponsored insurance, or those moving into Colorado, have 60 days from that event to enroll in 2018 coverage.

Among the 2018 plan selections, 23 percent are by customers who are new to Connect for Health Colorado and 77 percent are renewing customers.

About Connect for Health Colorado
Connect for Health Colorado is a public, non-profit entity established 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 is the only place to apply for financial assistance in the form of tax credits to help lower the monthly cost of premiums. Customers can shop online; get help by phone or online chat from Customer Service Center representatives; and access free, in-person assistance from a statewide network of certified Brokers, community-based Health Coverage Guides or Application Counselors. For more information: connectforhealthco.com

 

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

The curtain falls tonight on our Fifth Open Enrollment Period, by most measures one of our best. Many of you have told me of the improvements you are seeing in our systems and in smoother processes.

On Tuesday, we reported more than 158,000 medical plan selections, still a little ahead of where we were on the same date last year.

I am grateful to our dedicated staff, our Assistance Network, our Broker partners, our health insurance company partners and the many other supportive stakeholders who share credit in our success in these interesting times.

Many on our team are already working on ways to make next year even better than this year.

In the News

The Commonwealth Fund offered an interesting take on marketplace stability last week. Noting that health insurer participation is a strong indicator, the report said that state-based marketplaces are seeing fewer carriers leaving the market.

More than half of state-based marketplaces, including Colorado, have the same number of companies this year as they had last year. Most of the states relying on federally run marketplaces lost between one to four health insurers.

Child Health Plan Plus

After discussing the continued lack of long-term funding for CHP+ at its meeting Monday, our board wrote a letter to Colorado’s congressional delegation in support of the program and some of the potential impacts if the program is not re-authorized.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

Our outreach and marketing are in high gear as we move into the last week of this Open Enrollment Period.

On Sunday we will have staff members at four churches in Denver and Aurora for “Get Covered Sunday.” The pastors have graciously let us set up resource tables, where we will meet with folks after their worship to talk about getting coverage this year.

We would love to see you there. You can find the information on Get Covered Sunday on our site here, and more events tomorrow and throughout the week here.

Customer Service Center hours

We have extended the hours at our Customer Service Center for the week of January 7-12, the hours will be:

Sunday, January 7 –  9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday, January 8, to Thursday, January 11: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, January 12, 7 a.m. to midnight.

We know that Open Enrollment, even one shortened by two weeks, has meant a lot work for many of you and I am grateful for your efforts and the results we are seeing.

Take care,

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

Contact: Luke Clarke, 720-496-2545
[email protected]
Connect for Health Colorado can assist media coverage of this event. Contact Luke Clarke in advance. [email protected]

DENVER —  Four churches in Denver and Aurora will join Connect for Health Colorado® on Sunday, January 7, in “Get Covered Sunday,” a community outreach initiative to enroll their members in health insurance in the final days of Open Enrollment.

“We believe in meeting our customers where they are,” said Connect for Health Colorado CEO Kevin Patterson.  “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with these pastors in helping their congregants take the critical step to protect their health and their family finances by buying health insurance. We are here to help anyone who does not yet have their health insurance in place for this year.”

January 12 is the deadline for 2018 coverage, except in certain life change scenarios, such as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, losing health insurance provided by an employer or moving to Colorado.

Connect for Health Colorado staff will be answering questions about health insurance and getting enrolled at participating churches.

Those churches include:

New Hope Baptist Church

3701 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80205
Pastor Eugene Downing
Morning Worship:  10:45 am
Resource Table to 1 pm 

Living Hope Baptist Church

11373 E Alameda Ave., Aurora, CO 80012
Pastor Robin Holland
Morning Worship:  10:00 am
Resource Table to noon 

Shorter AME Church

3100 Richard Allen Court, Denver, CO  80205
Pastor Timothy Tyler
Morning Worship: 10:00 am
Resource Table to noon

Rising Star Baptist Church

1500 S Dayton St., Aurora, CO 80247
Pastor Jules Smith
Morning Worship:  10:00 am
Resource Table to noon

About Connect for Health Colorado

Connect for Health Colorado is a public, non-profit entity established 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 is the only place to apply for financial assistance in the form of tax credits to help lower the monthly cost of premiums. Customers can shop online; get help by phone or online chat from Customer Service Center representatives; and access free, in-person assistance from a statewide network of certified Brokers, community-based Health Coverage Guides or Application Counselors. For more information: www.connectforhealthco.com

 

 

 

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

What a year it’s been in the healthcare policy world. This week, with a mix of good news at the state level and new uncertainty at the federal level, has been no exception.

We are happy to see that the state has found the resources to extend the Child Health Insurance Program (CHP+ in Colorado) through February and that Congress’ continuing resolution will authorize funding for six months of the program. That prevents, for now, the need to move the 75,000 children and 762 pregnant mothers covered by the program into alternative coverage.

We are hearing from some who are justifiably concerned about the repeal of the individual mandate in 2019 under the just-passed tax bill.

While I don’t mean to minimize these concerns and the lack of clarity the measure brings, I would like to share with you some points that give me and others on the Connect for Health Colorado team optimism as we look ahead.

• These early Open Enrollment metrics presented to our board Monday show not only a record number of plan selections for the coming year, but also a significant increase in customers qualifying for financial help in the form of tax credit assistance, three out of four obtaining coverage.
• The financial help is paying 80% of the premium, on average, for those who qualify. These figures are all likely to change a little as we continue to enroll but the emerging trends are clear.
• Provisions of the Affordable Care Act that protect us from bankruptcy – elimination of annual and lifetime caps on benefits, prohibiting health insurance companies from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition – remain the law of the land.
• A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that only 8% of Marketplace customers said they would go uncovered without the mandate.

And, as we progress through this Open Enrollment period, we have heard several positive reports about our Medical Assistance site and improved technology. I particularly enjoyed this message from Kevin O’Connor of San Juan Basin Public Health in Durango:

In general, our OEP has been very smooth. Only a small number of clients could not be enrolled in one meeting, and having access to the MA site has been the best tool C4HCO has ever provided us. A significant number of clients have seen either a net reduction in cost or new eligibility for CSR.  

Advisory Group Openings

Our Board Advisory Group currently has openings for a carrier and a provider representative.  The deadline to apply is Friday, January 5, 2018.  Click here for more information.

We will be taking a break in these updates for the holidays, resuming in January.

With gratitude for your support in 2017 and our best wishes for this holiday season.

Take care,

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

December 18, 2017

Contact: Luke Clarke, 720-496-2545

[email protected]

DENVER —  More than 149,000 Coloradans selected healthcare coverage for 2018 through the state health insurance Marketplace through the December 17, 2017, a rate 7 percent ahead of signups one year ago, according to new data released today by Connect for Health Colorado®, mid-way through the Open Enrollment period for 2018 coverage.

“It’s not over, but the first half of this Open Enrollment period has set a solid pace,” said Connect for Health Colorado CEO Kevin Patterson.  “We are still enrolling Coloradans who buy their own health insurance through January 12.  I encourage everyone who does not have coverage yet to go to our site and see if they qualify for financial help. My message is, ‘Don’t leave money on the table.’ We know that too many Coloradans who qualify for help assume that they don’t.”

With nearly four weeks remaining in the current Open Enrollment period, Coloradans have already selected 149,006 medical insurance plans. The total was 139,509 for the comparable period in 2016. Seventeen percent of the medical plan selections are by customers who are new to Connect for Health Colorado and 83 percent are renewing customers.

Consumers enrolling now through January 12, 2018, will get health insurance that takes effect February 1, 2018. After January 12, individuals and families can buy coverage only if they experience a life change event such as such as marriage, divorce, having a child, losing employer-sponsored insurance, or moving to Colorado.

About Connect for Health Colorado

Connect for Health Colorado is a public, non-profit entity established 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 is the only place to apply for financial assistance in the form of tax credits to help lower the monthly cost of premiums. Customers can shop online; get help by phone or online chat from Customer Service Center representatives; and access free, in-person assistance from a statewide network of certified Brokers, community-based Health Coverage Guides or Application Counselors. For more information: www.connectforhealthco.com

To Our Valued Stakeholders

There is no busier day of the year at Connect for Health Colorado than today. We know from previous years that many of our customers will wait to the last day to put their coverage in place for January. That’s why we will be staffing our call center until midnight tonight and have been working extended hours this week, as so many of you have.

We welcome the interest in our enrollment volume and we will be making another public release Monday of our plan selection totals through today. It will also include auto renewals that will run over the weekend.

Of course, the work doesn’t end there. Here’s a look at what the highlights on our calendar into the new year:

• Monday, December 18: Board of directors meeting, 8:30 a.m.
• Monday, December 25: Call center closed for the holiday.
• Monday, January 1: Call center closed for the holiday.
• Tuesday, January 2: Public update on plan selection totals through December.
• Sunday, January 7: Call center open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday, January 12: Last day to enroll for 2018 coverage without a life change event.

 Update on CHP+

Without reauthorization of the Child Health Insurance Program, we continue to prepare to bring Colorado families relying on the program into coverage through Connect for Health Colorado. Support for the program is wide. Our Gov. Hickenlooper joined governors in both political parties Tuesday in a letter to Congressional leadership calling for reauthorization.

I hope that in this busy time you are able to take time with family and friends and enjoy the spirit of the holidays.

Take care,

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