How health insurance works in Colorado
Coloradans buying their own coverage have two markets: Connect for Health Colorado (connectforhealthco.com), where plans from Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Cigna, and Denver Health are guaranteed-issue and priced on income, and the private shared-network market, where PPO plans on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO are underwritten and priced on age and health.
Medicaid is expanded (Health First Colorado) in Colorado. Colorado has no state individual mandate.
What it costs
Full-price marketplace plans for a 40-year-old in Denver commonly run $550–$850 a month in 2026; with a subsidy, often under $300. Private PPOs for the same healthy person run roughly $320–$480. Colorado has a flat state income tax, so the self-employed premium deduction helps at both levels.
The Colorado picture
Colorado requires carriers to sell standardized 'Colorado Option' plans on the marketplace, and mountain-county premiums run well above Front Range prices — the gap private plans tend to close.