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

Even though Open Enrollment has ended for most Coloradans, there are a few opportunities to still get health coverage for the year. If someone has a qualifying life event, they may be eligible for a special enrollment period. And, there are also a few other ways.

The Tax Time Enrollment Period gives uninsured Coloradans another chance to see if they can get coverage either through the Marketplace or through Health First Colorado by checking a box on their tax return before April 18.

Or, if someone was covered through Bright Health or Oscar in 2022 and has not picked another plan yet, they have a Special Enrollment Period through March 1. Our network of enrollment Assisters and Brokers can help.

We encourage every eligible to reach out and get enrolled. Thanks for ensuring that everyone has peace of mind of having health coverage in place for the year.

New Chief Product Officer

I’m delighted to announce a recent promotion to the executive leadership level at Connect for Health Colorado. Kelly Davies has been named Chief Product Officer. Davies has held a variety of roles within Connect for Health Colorado since joining the organization as a project and product manager in February 2015. Most recently, as Director of Product Development, Davies helped lead several critical modernization initiatives such as redesigning the customer-facing application, building new plan shopping decision support tools and upgrading the customer relationship management tool.

Technology Award Nomination

We were recently nominated for Project of the Year for the 22nd Annual APEX Awards. Although we didn’t win the award, it was an honor to share time celebrating the nomination with members of the teams making the Colorado Connect platform successful. I enjoyed connecting with an impressive group of leaders and innovators shining a spotlight on Colorado technology at the event this week.

Take care,

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

We announced last week that more than 212,000 Coloradans enrolled in a health insurance plan during our Open Enrollment Period. I’m deeply proud that so many Coloradans can have the peace of mind of having health coverage for the year.

While most of the Open Enrollment Period ran smoothly, we have uncovered some errors with the electronic data interchange with our issuer partners that affected both Connect for Health Colorado and the new Colorado Connect customers. We take system and customer service issues very seriously and understand our responsibilities to correct these issues promptly. Our staff has been working around the clock to ensure that these issues are corrected and customers have everything they need to use their coverage.

Thank you to all of you — our stakeholders, policymakers, advocates, media partners, community organizations, Brokers, Assisters — for all the work you did to help us get the word out and get Coloradans enrolled. We know it takes a village.

Bright and Oscar customers have more time

Even though Open Enrollment has ended for most Coloradans, if someone was covered through Bright Health or Oscar in 2022 and has not picked another plan yet, those customers have a Special Enrollment Period through March 1. We don’t want those customers to go without insurance this year, so we encourage them to reach out and get enrolled. Our network of enrollment Assisters and Brokers can help.

Take care,

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

Happy new year! I hope all had a peaceful holiday season. It’s been a busy one for us!

Earlier this week, we announced that more than 188,000 Coloradans have enrolled in a plan for this year.

This Open Enrollment Period just has a short time left – our doors are open for anyone still needing insurance for 2023 through January 15.  

If you know of anyone still not covered, please let them know the deadline is near. It’s especially important for customers who were previously covered by Bright Health or Oscar to ensure they find a new plan before January 15 so they have the coverage they need.

Our network of Brokers, Assisters and Enrollment Centers are available to help. There are several enrollment events scheduled this weekend and before Jan. 15 as well.

And as a reminder, the extra savings from the American Rescue Plan available last year have been extended through the next few years making it possible for a customer to find a plan that meets their budget.

Thanks for helping us get the word out about the final days to enroll!

Happy new year! I hope all had a peaceful holiday season. It’s been a busy one for us!

Earlier this week, we announced that more than 188,000 Coloradans have enrolled in a plan for this year.

This Open Enrollment Period just has a short time left – our doors are open for anyone still needing insurance for 2023 through January 15.  

If you know of anyone still not covered, please let them know the deadline is near. It’s especially important for customers who were previously covered by Bright Health or Oscar to ensure they find a new plan before January 15 so they have the coverage they need.

Our network of Brokers, Assisters and Enrollment Centers are available to help. There are several enrollment events scheduled this weekend and before Jan. 15 as well.

And as a reminder, the extra savings from the American Rescue Plan available last year have been extended through the next few years making it possible for a customer to find a plan that meets their budget.

Thanks for helping us get the word out about the final days to enroll!

As we head into the holiday season, we also just passed the first enrollment deadline of the year. Yesterday was officially the deadline to enroll in coverage that starts January 1, but we remain open through January 15 for coverage that would start February 1.

This enrollment deadline week has been extremely busy for Brokers, Assisters and our Customer Service Center. Because the volume has been so high this week, we want to remind everyone that customers who started their plan enrollment but haven’t finished may still complete it up to two business days after the deadline, which is Monday, Dec. 19. Customers, Brokers and Assisters must contact the Customer Service Center to do so.  

I also want to wrap up the calendar year with a big thank you to you all. Our many enrollment partners and community partners have helped us reach enrollment milestones, while also supporting the roll out of new programs this year, such as Tax Time Enrollment and the OmniSalud Program.

I appreciate everything you do to help us forward our mission of access, affordability and choice for Coloradans. And I wish you and your families a healthy and happy holiday season.

Take care,

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

We are just about a week out from the December 15 deadline, the date Coloradans need to purchase a plan in order to be covered on January 1.

To get the word out to as many people as possible, we declared Get Covered Colorado Day this week. Our partners at the Division of Insurance and at Health First Colorado contributed to our efforts and several community members posted messages on social media to help us spread the word.

As a reminder, due to changes in federal law, we’ve been able to provide more Coloradans with even more financial help for health insurance. In fact, 2 out of 3 customers can find a plan for $25 per month or less.  We encourage all customers to review all their options and to compare plans and prices to find the best fit for their families.

And of course, our Brokers, Assisters and Enrollment Centers stand ready to help Coloradans through the process. We’re here to help.

Take care, 

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