The financial help you can get to lower your out-of-pocket costs are healthcare discounts called Cost-Sharing Reductions. Connect for Health Colorado is the only place you can apply for financial help to lower the cost of private health insurance. Due to the American Rescue Plan, Coloradans are now eligible for more savings than ever before.

You must purchase a Silver-level plan and qualify in order to get healthcare discounts.

A Bronze or Gold plan will likely be a better deal if you do not qualify for cost-sharing reductions.

Consider a Silver plan if your Health First Colorado (Medicaid) coverage recently ended or your income is over the limit to qualify  

Connect for Health Colorado launched a new state-funded program recently to provide even more healthcare savings to people shopping on the Marketplace for 2022 whose income is just over the limit to receive Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and who enroll in a Silver-level plan. 

If you’re eligible for this program, all you need to do to get the higher level of benefits is apply through Connect for Health Colorado and enroll in a Silver-level plan. You will see those extra savings automatically applied to Silver-level plans when you are shopping. 

If you’ve lost coverage through Health First Colorado, apply through Connect for Health Colorado within 60 days of losing your coverage to take advantage of the monthly and out-of-pocket savings on your healthcare. 

Healthcare discounts will lower your:

  • Out-of-pocket maximum 
  • Deductible
  • Copays for seeing a doctor
  • Copays for prescriptions
  • Coinsurance for hospitalization

If your income changes, report the change to see if you qualify for health care discounts

Always report changes in your income and family size to Connect for Health Colorado when they happen, so we can adjust the amount of savings you’re receiving to pay for health insurance. If we determine that you qualify for health care discounts after you update your account, you will have a Special Enrollment Period, during which you can switch into a Silver plan to take advantage of the healthcare discounts.

Report a change in your income »

See if you may qualify for healthcare discounts—more detail:

If you are a family ofWith this income range, you may qualify for BOTH healthcare discounts and lower monthly premiums
1$18,075 – 33,975
2$24,352 – 45,775
3$30,630 – 57,575
4$36,908 – 69,375
5$43,185 – 81,175
6$49,463 – 92,975

If your income is not in the range to qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs, Gold and Bronze plans may be more affordable options than a Silver plan.

Example: How healthcare discounts save you money when you use your plan 

Healthcare discounts only apply to Silver plans sold through Connect for Health Colorado. While a Bronze plan may have cheaper premiums, that plan has the highest cost when you go to the doctor or hospital. Below is an example of how much you might expect to pay for a broken bone if you are enrolled in a Bronze plan or a Silver plan with healthcare discounts.

Example: Costs for a Broken Bone
(In-network emergency room visit and follow up care)
Full Cost
(Bronze plan)
Discounted Costs*
(Silver plan)
Total Estimated Cost for a Broken Bone$1,810$780
Annual Deductible$5,250$200
Specialist Cost Sharing40%30%
Hospital Coinsurance40%30%
X-ray coinsurance40%30%

* This chart is for example purposes only and it is not an accurate representation of what every consumer can expect to pay. You must qualify for Cost-Sharing Reductions and purchase a Silver plan to receive these discounts.