To Our Valued Stakeholders,

We’re off to the races! We’re one week into our seventh Open Enrollment period.

If you know someone who needs help enrolling, you can direct them to our website to find all of the options for both in-person assistance and information about our online and phone assistance. Our enrollment partners have already been out hosting events in Avon, Aurora, Centennial, Glenwood Springs, Ouray, Paonia, Pueblo, Rifle, Silverthorne and Wheat Ridge.  We post all events on our website and our Facebook page.

Thank you again for also reminding customers to shop to find the best plans and prices for 2020.

Recruiting for Board Advisory Group

Our Board Advisory Group was created to make high-level policy recommendations to our Board of Directors. We are recruiting for three open seats for this Advisory Group; one from the healthcare provider community, one from the enrollment assistance community, and one from the consumer advocacy community. You can find application information here. Interested candidates should submit an application to [email protected].

In the News

The Durango Herald featured Kevin O’Connor, a Health Coverage Guide in the Durango area.

9News hosted us for a Facebook Live interview this week.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

The day has arrived! This morning, we kicked off our seventh Open Enrollment period with an exciting event at Servicios de la Raza, one of our assistance sites in the Denver-metro area. Congresswoman Diana DeGette joined me and several assisters as we highlighted the success of our marketplace in Colorado and encouraged Coloradans to get covered during Open Enrollment.

While we are excited about the lower rates available this year, I’d like your help reminding customers that in order to see savings, comparing plans and prices is extremely important. With the complexities of how the tax credit is calculated, customers who qualify for financial help will likely see a decrease in the dollar amount of assistance. It’s important to know that customers who qualify for financial help can reduce premiums an average of eight to 19 percent by switching to the lowest-cost plan available in their current metal level.

Read more in our press release from Wednesday and please help share this message with your constituents and communities.

Our Public Comment on Immigrant Health Insurance

We submitted a public comment about the Immigrant Health Insurance Coverage Notice of Information Collection.

Take care,

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

DENVER – The Open Enrollment period to purchase health insurance for 2020 kicks off Friday, Nov. 1, with rates lower across the board for the first time since the Marketplace opened for business in 2013. And while rates are lower, Connect for Health Colorado® strongly encourages all customers to compare their plan options before making a selection.

With the complexities of how the tax credit is calculated, customers who qualify for financial help will likely see a decrease in the dollar amount of assistance. It’s important to know that customers who qualify for financial help can reduce premiums an average of eight to 19 percent by switching to the lowest-cost plan available in their current coverage level.

“Affordability is of utmost importance to us because our customers continue to share their concerns and struggles with affording health care. It’s our job to make sure everyone knows the importance of comparing their plan options in order to see the substantial savings that are available in the new year,” said Chief Executive Officer Kevin Patterson. “No matter how people prefer to shop or which part of the state they live in, we are here to help connect them to the resources they need.”

55 percent of customers receiving financial help can purchase a plan in 2020 for $50 per month or less. During the enrollment period, an individual earning up to almost $50,000, and a family of four with an annual income of up to $103,000, can qualify for financial help through the Marketplace.

There are eight health insurance companies offering a total of 130 health plans through the Marketplace in 2020. Consumers may see greater plan selection among Silver plans and expanded Bronze plans in comparison to 2019. One new carrier, Oscar, will offer plans to residents in the Denver area. Peak Health Alliance will also offer plans via Bright Health to Summit County residents starting in 2020.  83 percent of current enrollees live in counties in which three or more carriers are offering plans in 2020.

Open Enrollment runs from Nov. 1, 2019, to Jan. 15, 2020. Consumers must enroll by Dec. 15 to have coverage in place by Jan. 1, 2020.

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.  Since 2013, we’ve been helping individuals, families and small employers compare plans, apply for financial help and buy health insurance. As Colorado’s official health insurance marketplace, we are the only place to apply for financial help to lower the monthly cost of premiums. Customers can shop online; get help by phone or online chat from Customer Service Center representatives; and access expert, in-person help from a statewide network of certified Brokers and community-based Assisters. For more information:  ConnectforHealthCO.com

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

We are officially one week from the beginning of the seventh Open Enrollment period. The excitement around the office is building! We’ve started our marketing efforts and have already heard that people are using our Quick Cost & Plan Finder Tool to compare plans and prices.

Even though I thought my own South by Southwest tour was over, I was able to make one more stop in Pueblo before Open Enrollment begins. I enjoyed spending time with friends from southeastern Colorado at the annual Action 22 meeting last week. As we aim to improve coverage in rural Colorado through advocacy, it was a pleasure to connect with so many community leaders and remind them of our network of brokers, enrollment centers and health coverage guides to serve their needs this Open Enrollment. We discussed the impact of the lower rates for southeast Colorado, and the importance of shopping in order to see savings.

I’ll keep you updated as our enrollment period begins and want to thank you in advance for helping us get the word out that we are open for business for 2020 plans next Friday!

Our Public Comment for Colorado’s State Public Option

We formally submitted our comment regarding the Proposal for Affordable Health Coverage Option (HB 19-1004) Draft Report. You can read the comment here, as well as my initial statement about the report.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

By now, you’ve likely heard the good news about plan offerings for 2020.

Given this news, it is important that we remind customers to review their options. Shopping for coverage that is best for each Coloradan is of paramount importance. Plans are now available for our customers to start reviewing in our Quick Cost and Plan Finder tool, and Open Enrollment officially begins on Friday, Nov. 1.

To help customers get ready to enroll, several of our assisters, brokers and health coverage guides are holding in-person events around the state. We have a robust list on our events page of our website and on our Facebook page, and will add events as we go through the Open Enrollment Period.

On the Policy Front

Last week, federal judges in three states issued injunctions on the public charge rule, two of which are nationwide. This puts the public charge rule on hold while lawsuits proceed.

We know that even though the final rule is on hold, there are still several concerns. As a reminder, we created a document including a list of immigration law resources to help.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

With the season’s first snow also came a big week for us. Yesterday, Governor Polis and the Colorado Division of Insurance released the offerings for 2020 health insurance plans.

I’m pleased there is a lot of good news to share with this year’s rates, as the average individual health insurance premium next year will be 20.2 percent lower, likely due to the reinsurance program. That number reflects the savings our customers would see before the financial help available is applied, of which 77 percent of current customers qualify.

As we dig into the details to learn what Coloradans will pay this year for insurance on the Marketplace, we’re also seeing the need for customers to shop for a new plan in order to lower their premiums in 2020. Shopping may even help customers enroll in a plan with more rich coverage. For some, costs for Gold plan premiums will be comparable to Silver plan premiums after the financial help is applied. Others may find a Bronze plan with very low or even $0 premium.

And another piece of this year’s puzzle is that while premiums are going down, the average financial help amount for enrollees who qualify will decrease as well. That’s why ensuring that our customers review plans for their needs will be important. Read more in our press release.

Plans will be available for our customers to start reviewing in our Quick Cost and Plan Finder tool shortly, and Open Enrollment begins Nov. 1.

No matter how people prefer to shop, we know our partnering assisters and brokers will be ready to help customers get the information they need to feel confident about their health insurance choice this Open Enrollment period. Thank you in advance for your help getting Coloradans ready to enroll.

Our State’s Version of a Public Option

The Colorado Sun does a nice job diving into the details of the Proposal for Affordable Health Coverage Option (HB 19-1004) Draft Report. I also issued a statement, since the State is proposing to offer these new options through Connect for Health Colorado.

In the News

You can read coverage about this year’s plan rate offerings in Colorado Public Radio’s piece or Denver Channel7.  

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

We are wrapping up our CoverCO tour today. In case you missed it, the CoverCo tour was a similar event to the previous Building Better Health (BBH) conference. But this time, instead of one event in Denver, we took the show on the road to six communities throughout Colorado. I’ve been impressed with the turnout at each event, reminding me how it important it is to bring many of us together to prepare for Open Enrollment.

As Connect for Health Colorado staff have been going from town to town for the CoverCo events, I also criss-crossed the state with them finishing my version of my South by Southwest tour. I continued my face-to-face visits with partners in Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Telluride, Alamosa and Pueblo. 

While at the CoverCo events and on the road, I heard loud and clear the many concerns about the recent Public Charge policy change. We know there is confusion about what is and what is not included in the final rule and how it affects the residents you serve. You can read the presentation that our partners delivered at the CoverCo events, and we have created a list of immigration law resources and information to provide you some guidance.

We are also in high gear getting ready for the seventh Open Enrollment period, opening November 1. Lots more to come in the next few weeks about this year’s plan offerings.

In the News

The Colorado Health Institute released the 2019 Colorado Health Assessment Survey last week. The Colorado Sun article describes findings about the uninsured rate in Colorado, among many other interesting data.

You may also find this Washington Post article about the Affordable Care Act a good read.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

Before our next Open Enrollment period begins, I am pleased to have the opportunity to visit communities on what I like to call my very own South by Southwest tour.

This week, I was honored to sit on a panel for the Longevity Project in Glenwood Springs. The Longevity Project is an annual series the Post Independent (the local newspaper) hosts and is focused on mental health. The goal of the series is to not only look at problems, but also examine potential solutions. Read more about the takeways from the powerful event.

While in Glenwood Springs, I visited with staff from the Mountain Family Health Centers. Hearing first-hand what the staff is doing to assist residents is impressive.

On Thursday, I opened the CoverCO event in Grand Junction. The CoverCo tour is brought to you by the organizers of Building Better Health (BBH) to bring the training and network opportunities to six communities around Colorado, focused on local conversations, training and networking. While in Grand Junction, I am also excited to see many of my friends on the Western Slope at QHN’s annual summit and at Club 20’s fall conference steak fry. 

Next week, I’m heading to Telluride, Alamosa and Pueblo to continue face-to-face visits with our partners.

Updated Website

If you’ve been to our website this week, you may have noticed some changes! Our marketing team worked to redesign the main gateway to our business: www.ConnectforHealthCO.com. We redesigned the navigation of the website, streamlined the content to make sure it is digestible and the site is also mobile-friendly now.

Please take time to click around and familiarize yourself with the new site. I think you will be pleased with the ease and readability.

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

It’s that time again! As we begin gearing up for Open Enrollment, we hope to see many of you at our CoverCO Tour kicking off next week. We partnered with the organizers of Building Better Health (BBH) to bring the training and network opportunities we all appreciated from the BBH event to six communities around Colorado, starting next Thursday in Greeley. The smaller groups around the state will allow attendees to have more focused local conversations and networking. Please join us at the location closest to you (Greeley, Durango, Grand Junction, Keystone, Pueblo or Denver).

If you haven’t already signed up for the full day session, please register here.

We are also inviting a broader audience to participate in the afternoon session, which will focus on community health needs in each region.  If you’d like to attend just the afternoon community health conversation, please register here.

We look forward to discussing how we can work together to improve affordability, access and choice for Coloradans buying health insurance through the Marketplace closer to home!

Take care,

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

To Our Valued Stakeholders,

August is already almost half way through, kids are going back to school and we are now less than 90 days out from the start of our seventh Open Enrollment Period, which has been scheduled from Nov. 1, 2019 – Jan. 15, 2020.

Connect for Health Colorado Happenings

Since I last reported out to you, I visited with brokers and assisters in Cortez and Durango, had a good discussion with the Southern Mountain Ute Tribe and met with media in Glenwood Springs.

I also had the opportunity to meet with our Legislative Oversight Committee to talk about our preparation for Open Enrollment and to discuss some of our anticipated milestones in the year ahead.

This week, we also announced the addition of two board members and I’ve hired Monica VanBuskirk as our new Chief Policy and Relationships Officer. Monica will oversee our overall policy and marketing strategy. We are thrilled to have her join our Executive Team!

Healthcare News Mixed Locally and Nationally

Colorado’s reinsurance waiver has been approved by CMS. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, our first look at the preliminary individual market rates for 2020 indicated that premiums could decrease by more than 18 percent across the state if this occurred. This is an important step in the right direction of addressing our state’s affordability concerns, and another example of how Colorado continues to lead the nation in finding innovative solutions to our healthcare challenges.

On the other hand, I am concerned about the Public Charge final rule and the negative connotations for people who need to access healthcare. Connect for Health Colorado made our concerns known when the proposed rule was released last year. We are evaluating the final rule, as we believe this will increase the overall uninsured rate and have negative impacts to the health insurance market.  We will be watching closely to see what happens next on the national front, and in the meantime, we are having conversations with state partners on how to move forward.

Take care,

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