Colorado health insurance enrollment stays steady, now up 29% over 2016

DENVER – Despite a slowdown last week in national Affordable Care Act enrollments, people in Colorado continue to sign up for health insurance at a clip higher than last year.

Nearly 44,000 people in Colorado signed up for health insurance through the state marketplace in November, an increase of 29 percent over the same time period the year before, when just over 34,000 people signed up in November.

And enrollments in Colorado stayed relatively stable over the second half of the month when compared to the first.

As of Nov. 15, there had been just under 23,000 people who had signed up for insurance. The end-of-month numbers roughly double that.

Connect for Health Colorado said 18 percent of customers are new, while 82 percent are returning customers.

National enrollments slowed last week, though enrollments this year are still well above last year’s numbers, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Connect for Health Colorado CEO Kevin Patterson said he was “pleased” with the latest numbers, with two weeks of enrollment left to have coverage by Jan. 1.

“I know people are busy this time of year but I encourage everyone who buys their own health insurance to check to see if they qualify for financial assistance, review the available plans, and complete an enrollment before the last-minute rush. Many will be surprised that they qualify for financial help,” Patterson said in a statement.

The federal government capped this year’s open enrollment period for states that use the federal marketplace on Dec. 15. But in Colorado, the enrollment period will stay open through Jan. 12.

But Coloradans wanting coverage to start on Jan. 1 are still required to enroll by Dec. 15.

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.