Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Colorado program

Colorado's insurance Marketplace (Connect for Health Colorado)

Colorado's insurance Marketplace, where families can compare plans and help with premiums.

What it is

Colorado's insurance Marketplace, where families can compare plans and help with premiums.

A work or income change can affect coverage choices and premium help. Connect for Health Colorado can compare a new plan with continuation coverage. An existing Marketplace member may instead need a review of income and financial help.

Eligibility rules
  • You must live in Colorado and enroll during yearly open enrollment or after a qualifying life change.
  • The federal premium-credit income range is 100% to 400% of poverty for 2026.
What you get
  • A choice of private plans during an enrollment window.
  • Federal premium tax credits and Colorado premium help for eligible households.
What the coverage includes
  • Colorado premium help can supplement the federal credit. The amount depends on the Marketplace review.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask a Marketplace assister or hospital counselor to compare coverage and premium help using your actual insurance dates and expected income.
  2. Check the exact oncology group, hospital and prescriptions before selecting a plan.

Connect for Health Colorado: 855-752-6749 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • A qualifying coverage loss generally opens enrollment 60 days before or after the loss. The Marketplace confirms the event, deadline and new coverage start date; a work change alone does not establish them.
Good to know

Colorado uses its own Marketplace. A cheaper premium can still mean different doctors or larger treatment costs.

Other details
  • The 60-day rule is a general special-enrollment window. The qualifying event and existing offer of coverage affect the actual options.
Ask your social worker

“If our coverage changes, which Marketplace plans would preserve our child's care, and how do their costs compare with keeping the work plan? Could you help us choose whether to enroll?”

Why I’m asking: I want to avoid a gap in cancer care while comparing premiums and treatment costs.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply within the window and check the network before choosing.

Your social worker

The hospital financial counselor can check which plans the oncology group takes.

The care team

Nothing.

Who decides
Connect for Health Colorado.
Ask your social worker
“Our plan is ending. Which Marketplace plans does the oncology group take?”

How to apply

First step: Go to connectforhealthco.com or call 855-752-6749 the day a plan ends or a notice arrives.

  1. File as soon as the notice of losing the plan arrives; do not wait out the window.
  2. Check the oncology group and hospital are in the plan before you buy.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at connectforhealthco.com or call 855-752-6749.

What to gather

  • The notice showing the plan is ending
  • Household income for the year

How long: Coverage usually starts the first of the month after you enroll.

Clock: A qualifying life change opens a 60-day special enrollment period at Connect for Health Colorado.

What a yes looks like

A plan with a start date and a monthly premium after the credit and state help.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the window is said to be closed, ask which life change they used and on what date.

Watch out

  • Colorado runs its own Marketplace, so the federal website is not where you file.
  • The 60-day rule is the Marketplace's general one. File the day the notice arrives rather than counting days.
  • Check the oncology group is in the plan before you buy it.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

A 60-day window to buy a plan after a qualifying life change, with state premium help on top of the federal credit.

  • $60 — Special enrollment window after a qualifying life change
  • $400/year — Federal premium tax credit ceiling for 2026

Covers: Individual and family health plans · State premium help (Colorado Premium Assistance) on top of the federal credit

Legal protection: A qualifying life change opens a 60-day window: 60 days before or 60 days after the loss

What it costs the family: A monthly premium, reduced by the federal credit and the state help.

The eligibility facts, as published

Trigger
A qualifying life change, including losing a plan; or the yearly open enrollment
Income
The federal credit runs from 100 to 400 percent of the federal poverty level for 2026
Residency
Colorado

The trap: The 60-day window the Marketplace advertises is its general rule for a qualifying life change. Colorado did not separately publish the window for losing Health First Colorado, so do not shorten your own deadline on the strength of the general rule: file as soon as the notice arrives.

Where I read this

← Back to your options