Short answer: private health insurance in Colorado comes in two forms. The marketplace plans are themselves sold by private companies: six insurers sell plans on Connect for Health Colorado for 2026, from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to Select Health. They come with tax credits and no health questions. Medically underwritten plans are the other form: they ask about your health, can decline you and get no credit, but a healthy buyer can often pay less, and one can start in any month. (Reviewed by Daniel Griffin, licensed independent advisor, NPN #22052447.)
Who Sells Marketplace Plans in Colorado
Connect for Health Colorado lists 2026 marketplace plans from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Cigna Healthcare, Denver Health Medical Plan, Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and Select Health. Connect for Health Colorado has been the state’s own exchange since the first ACA open enrollment in 2013, serving all 64 counties. Not every insurer sells in every county.
What Colorado Plans Cost Before a Tax Credit
The average benchmark Silver premium for a 40-year-old in Colorado was $557 a month in 2026, before any tax credit (KFF).
Off-Exchange Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Prices in Colorado, 2027
Anthem sells individual plans off the marketplace in 9 of Colorado’s 9 rating areas for 2027. They are ACA plans at a flat price: no health questions, and no tax credit. Anthem lists no off-exchange Gold plan in Colorado for 2027. The lowest price anywhere in the state, by age:
| Age | Bronze | Silver |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | $345 | $372 |
| 30 | $391 | $423 |
| 40 | $441 | $476 |
| 50 | $616 | $665 |
| 60 | $936 | $1,011 |
| 64 | $1,035 | $1,117 |
The cheapest of each, by rating area, for a 40-year-old:
| Area | Counties | Bronze from | Silver from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boulder | $457 | $501 |
| 2 | El Paso, Teller | $488 | $527 |
| 3 | Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek and 6 more | $487 | $534 |
| 4 | Larimer | $441 | $476 |
| 5 | Mesa | $468 | $521 |
| 6 | Weld | $466 | $507 |
| 7 | Pueblo | $457 | $497 |
| 8 | Alamosa, Baca, Bent, Chaffee and 22 more | $527 | $573 |
| 9 | Archuleta, Delta, Dolores, Eagle and 17 more | $536 | $597 |
Monthly, non-tobacco, from the Off-Marketplace plans on shop.anthem.com, quoted October 24, 2026. Men and women pay the same. Other ages follow the federal age curve, checked against Anthem’s own quotes. Prices can change before enrollment, and the insurer’s final rate applies. If you qualify for a tax credit, the same plans cost less through the marketplace.
The cheapest of these carry real deductibles: $7,500 on the $441-a-month Bronze and $4,400 on the $476-a-month Silver. For a healthy buyer who earns too much for a tax credit, that is full price plus a deductible, and a licensed agent here recommends an off-exchange Anthem plan only when you really need ACA coverage, such as for an ongoing condition or a pregnancy. A private plan with no deductible for day-to-day care starts at about $350 a month for a 40-year-old in Colorado (private estimates run $350–$445); it asks health questions and pays set amounts instead. Why most healthy buyers skip the Blue plan: off-exchange Blue Cross Blue Shield plans compared.
Who Should Look Beyond the Colorado Marketplace
For 2027 coverage the tax credit stops at $63,840 for one person and $132,000 for a family of four. At Colorado’s 2026 benchmark, a single 40-year-old just over that line pays $6,684 a year, about 10% of income, before the 2027 increase. That is where a healthy household can save with a medically underwritten plan, which is priced on health, not income. It is not ACA coverage: it can decline you and usually excludes pre-existing conditions and maternity care. Leaving a job? See COBRA alternatives.
Networks: What to Check in Colorado
Connect for Health Colorado shows each plan’s network type. Check whether a plan is an HMO, EPO or PPO, then check your doctors and hospital in that plan’s own network, not just the insurer’s name.
Healthy, in Colorado, and paying full price?
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2027 in Colorado
The Colorado Division of Insurance approved an average 2027 increase of 10.0%. Cigna (about 41,000 members) leaves Colorado’s marketplace after 2026; anyone on its plans needs a new one for January. Open Enrollment on Connect for Health Colorado opens November 1, 2026; check its deadline for coverage that starts January 1. Medically underwritten plans are not tied to that calendar. health insurance in Colorado · self-employed in Colorado.
Checking an Agent or a Plan in Colorado
The Colorado Division of Insurance licenses agents and insurers in Colorado: look up anyone selling you a plan, and get the insurer’s name and the list of what is not covered before you pay.
Common Questions
What is private health insurance in Colorado?
Two things. Private insurers sell Colorado marketplace plans on Connect for Health Colorado, with tax credits and no health questions. Medically underwritten plans ask health questions, can decline you, get no tax credit and can start in any month.
Who should buy a medically underwritten plan in Colorado?
A healthy household that gets little or no tax credit: for 2027 coverage there is none above $63,840 for one person or $132,000 for a family of four. Anyone with a real health history, or planning a pregnancy, is usually better protected on the marketplace.
Are there PPO plans on the Colorado marketplace?
It depends on the insurer and the county. Connect for Health Colorado shows each plan’s network type, so check it plan by plan.
Which insurers are leaving Colorado’s marketplace for 2027?
Cigna (about 41,000 members) leaves Colorado’s marketplace after 2026; anyone on its plans needs a new one for January.
Sources
- KFF benchmark premiums, Colorado, 2026.
- Connect for Health Colorado, 2026 insurers.
- Colorado 2027 rates and exits (Plans By State, from regulators and ACASignups.net).
- HealthCare.gov: tax credit income limits.
- Colorado Division of Insurance.
Full-price filed rates before tax credits, not quotes. Underwritten plans are not sold in every state and acceptance depends on health history.