DENVER — Colorado’s open enrollment period to sign up for health insurance through the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, gets underway Thursday. Here’s what you need to know.
The enrollment period begins Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15. However, you must enroll by Dec. 15 to have coverage at the beginning of the year.
There have been changes. According to Connect for Health Colorado, the site’s new eligibility system is in place, and those who are receiving financial assistance to purchase insurance are seeing an average drop of 24 percent in their net premiums.
Also, all seven health insurance companies — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bright Health, Cigna, Denver Health Medical Plan, Friday Health Plans of Colorado, Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans — available in the marketplace are returning for 2019.
It might be more difficult finding help in enrolling, after the Trump administration sharply scaled back funding for sign-up counselors known as "navigators." Even so, independent community groups still guide consumers through the paperwork.
And in a change that takes effect Jan. 1, those who decide to opt out of health insurance won't be penalized come tax time.
C4HCO will let you estimate your coverage
There are a wide array of plans being offered across most counties in Colorado, and Connect for Health Colorado has several tools to help you decide which to choose. Click here to see all the plans and options for your family.
There is also a tool found on this page that you can use to plug in your age, family size and coverage needs, which can show you the options you, in particular, have to choose from.
