Gov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 25B-1006 into law last week. 

This new law is important and necessary, particularly as we head toward open enrollment for plan year 2026. 

For the upcoming plan year, the stopgap bill will lower the total cost of health insurance premiums and invest in OmniSalud.

Connect for Health Colorado was proud to support House Bill 25B-1006 when it was introduced during the Legislature’s special session, and we are extremely grateful to the Colorado Legislature and Gov. Polis for their leadership in preserving and expanding access to affordable health care coverage.

Every day, you and I see how lives are transformed by access to affordable, essential health services, including preventive care, mental health treatment and life-saving prescription medications.

For so many people throughout Colorado, affordable coverage isn’t just good public policy – it’s a lifeline.

Now, it’s important for the U.S. Congress to protect the progress we’ve made, and strengthen our ability to provide health coverage to people who most depend on it. 

It’s critical that Congress extend the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that have helped millions of Americans – including hundreds of thousands here in Colorado – maintain access to quality, affordable coverage. Without them, families will face impossible choices: skip medical care or sacrifice basic necessities like housing, transportation, and food.

Without Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, we estimate average increases of 100% to over 300% in monthly premiums for people receiving financial assistance; and we estimate tens of thousands of Coloradans will be at risk of losing coverage, with rural residents, older adults, and those with fluctuating incomes among the most impacted. 

When people lose coverage, they delay preventive care, skip medications, and avoid emergency treatment. The results are measurable – studies show uninsured individuals face higher mortality rates, not because conditions can’t be treated, but because treatment becomes unaffordable.

This is not about partisan politics. It’s about whether working families can afford insulin, cancer screenings, and life-saving emergency care. Congress has the power to prevent this entirely avoidable crisis. The choice is clear: extend these credits and protect access to care, or allow them to expire and accept the human cost that will follow.

House Bill 25B-1006 will mitigate some of this impact. But make no mistake: failure to extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits will significantly impede access to affordable health insurance.

This year it will be more important than ever for customers to shop and compare plans, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of the free resources we make available. 

Connect for Health Colorado remains committed to ensuring that all Coloradans can get the coverage they need – but we can’t do it alone. Your partnership and work – helping Coloradans understand their options, navigate choices, and enroll in plans that work for them – will be critical in ensuring our customers are supported. 

It’s important that every Coloradan knows we’re here to help every step of the way. 

Take care,

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