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Colorado Health Insurance Rates Rise 10% Statewide and 15.5% in Mesa County
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Health Insurance Rates Rise 10% Statewide and 15.5% in Mesa County

By John Ingold | The Colorado Sun State and federal subsidies, though, will blunt the price increases for people with lower incomes. If you buy health insurance on your own without help from an employer — and without receiving subsidies from the state or federal government — this will come as unwelcome news: Prices for coverage next year will increase by an average of 10% across the state and by even more if you live in the mountains or on the Western Slope. The state Division of Insurance announced the price increases Tuesday, pinning blame for the rising rates in part on Congress’ refusal to extend some price subsidies last year. Rising healthcare and prescription drug costs are also to blame. Colorado somewhat made up for the loss of the enhanc...
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Rural Hospitals Deploy AI to Fight AI as Claim Denials Add Financial Pressure
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Rural Hospitals Deploy AI to Fight AI as Claim Denials Add Financial Pressure

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Editor’s Note: Colorado’s healthcare system is entering a period of accelerating instability — a “tsunami,” as multiple leaders describe it — driven by collapsing hospital finances, shrinking Medicaid reimbursements, disappearing services and a political fight over who is responsible for this unraveling. Healthcare Freefall is a multipart series examining how Colorado arrived at this moment, what H.R. 1 will do next and why communities across the state are bracing for deeper shocks. Rural hospitals in Colorado say they are being pulled into a technological fight they didn’t choose. Hospitals said insurance companies have deployed artificial intelligence to deny claims faster and more efficiently, and they are scrambling to adopt the...
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More Than 40,000 Coloradans Impacted As Cigna Leaves Individual Market
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

More Than 40,000 Coloradans Impacted As Cigna Leaves Individual Market

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Another firm is withdrawing from the individual health insurance market, including for Colorado, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The move by Cigna Healthcare is part of the company’s overall plan to withdraw entirely from the Affordable Care Act market. It will impact individual health plans for 369,000 members in 11 states, according to a company announcement on April 30. In Colorado, Cigna provides individual health insurance to 40,853 members, according to the the state’s insurance office. Cigna joins five other insurers that have pulled out of Colorado since 2022. That doesn’t include two insurers that announced they were withdrawing from the individual market last year but rescinded that announcement two months later. ...
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Oz Warns Millions Of Obamacare Enrollments ‘May Not Be Legit’
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Breitbart, Approved, National

Oz Warns Millions Of Obamacare Enrollments ‘May Not Be Legit’

By Nick Gilbertson | Breitbart News As many as 35 percent of enrollments in the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” might “not be legit,” according to the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz laid out the eyebrow-raising projection during Tuesday’s White House press briefing while filling in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is out on maternity leave. https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2061869210574143620?s=20 When asked about expired Obamacare subsidies and whether there are any policy adjustments he would like to see, Oz emphasized that the number of people on Obamacare has more than doubled over the last decade. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT BREITBART NEWS
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Colorado Health Care Bailout Bill Could Hit Families and Small Businesses With $40 Million Fee
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Health Care Bailout Bill Could Hit Families and Small Businesses With $40 Million Fee

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado Colorado insurers say health care premiums could increase by hundreds of dollars in 2027. The warning comes as state lawmakers consider $40 million in new fees on insurers that the companies say they'll pass on to policyholders.  Democratic stet Sens. Iman Jodeh and Kyle Mullica are sponsoring a bill that would bail out the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, which is short $140 million. The enterprise subsidizes care for 176,000 Coloradans on Connect for Health Colorado and 6,700 undocumented immigrants on OmniSalud. That's in addition to supporting the Colorado Reinsurance Program, which helps cover high-cost claims. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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ACA Subsidy Expiration Triggers Major Premium Hikes for Millions
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Scripps News, Approved, National

ACA Subsidy Expiration Triggers Major Premium Hikes for Millions

By Haley Bull | Scripps News Enhanced subsidies created during pandemic will end after Congress fails to extend them, with experts predicting 114% average premium increases. Millions of Americans will face higher healthcare costs starting January 1, 2026, as enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire after Congress failed to extend them. The subsidies, which were enhanced during the pandemic and later extended, will end after lawmakers could not reach a consensus on an extension or new healthcare policy. Experts predict premium increases for many Americans who purchase insurance through the ACA marketplace. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates annual out-of-pocket premium payments for subsidized enrollees will increase by an average of 114%, though the exact ...
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New Colorado Laws Take Effect Jan. 1 With Sweeping Changes for Health Care Housing and Gun Shows
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

New Colorado Laws Take Effect Jan. 1 With Sweeping Changes for Health Care Housing and Gun Shows

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A new year means new laws in Colorado, covering everything from health insurance and gun shows to “junk fees” and protections for wild bison. Here’s a list of laws passed during the 2025 legislative session that will go into effect on Jan. 1. House Bill 1002: Medical necessity determination insurance coverage This law codifies and clarifies mental health parity requirements for insurers, ensuring that individuals receive the same coverage for mental health and behavioral services as they do for physical care. House Bill 1030: Accessibility standards in building codes This law requires new local building codes to meet or exceed international accessibility standards. It prohibits them from providing less protection than ...
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Colorado cuts health subsidies for illegal immigrants with lottery system deciding who keeps coverage
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Colorado Public Radio, Approved, State

Colorado cuts health subsidies for illegal immigrants with lottery system deciding who keeps coverage

By Mateo Schimpf | CPR News On Nov. 17, phones started lighting up at a first-floor office in north Denver. Hundreds of people wanted to know whether they had won the lottery, and if not, if they had other options. The callers were not looking for the winning Powerball combination. They wanted to know whether they would be able to afford health insurance next year. The days leading up to Nov. 17 were excruciating for Blanca, who’s 52 and a single mother, and whose last name we’re not using because of concerns she could be targeted by federal law enforcement due to her immigration status.  She’s among 12,000 undocumented Coloradans who received subsidies from the state to get free health insurance through the OmniSalud program in 2025. But she had to wait to see if she w...
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Colorado Lawmakers Clash Over Wolves, Health Subsidies and State Budget
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State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Colorado Lawmakers Clash Over Wolves, Health Subsidies and State Budget

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Day three of the legislature's special session ended with the Senate working late into the night to begin debate on the House tax bills sent over earlier in the day, after the House wrapped up voting on those measures, along with bills on health insurance and the Healthy School Meals for all ballot measures. The House's work Saturday night included debate on Senate Bill 5, which would prohibit Colorado Parks and Wildlife from using general fund dollars to acquire more wolves in the current fiscal year. The bill also diverts $264,000 to the Health Insurance Accountability Enterprise to pay for subsidies for health insurance premiums purchased through the state exchange. Those premiums are expected to soar for the individual market by as much a...
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Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills
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State, Approved, The Denver Gazette

Colorado Legislature Opens Special Session With Taxes and Spending Bills

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado legislators began to advance proposals dealing with an $800 million budget shortfall on Thursday, just hours after the legislature officially re-convened to deal with the revenue shortfall.  They started with a hearing on Senate Bill 1, which adds a requirement to the existing state law that outlines the governor's authority to make spending reductions in case of a significant drop in revenue. Under SB 1, Gov. Jared Polis would be required to develop a plan and present it to the Joint Budget Committee before it goes into effect. Lawmakers and the Polis administration have indicated that budget cuts should be put into place by Sept. 1 in order to spread out any reductions over 10 months, instead of waiting until next Februa...
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