Just got a COBRA letter? Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period — and because COBRA carries no employer contribution and no premium tax credit, the alternative is often much cheaper.
Not a government marketplace. Health Enrollment Center is operated by Sprinter Insurance Agency LLC.
Colorado runs its own marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, so residents enroll through the state rather than HealthCare.gov. It also offers the standardized 'Colorado Option' — state-designed plans that made up roughly 47% of 2025 enrollments — which lets you compare like-for-like benefits across carriers. About 282,000 residents are covered through the marketplace, and Colorado expanded Medicaid, so subsidies generally begin above 138% of the poverty line.
COBRA lets you keep your former employer's exact plan — but now you pay the whole premium plus a 2% admin fee, with no employer contribution. For most households that's $650–$1,200+ a month. The letter makes it sound like your only option. It isn't.
Losing employer coverage is a qualifying life event. It opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period on the ACA marketplace, where your income may qualify you for a premium tax credit that COBRA can never offer. Many people who were paying $900 for COBRA move to a comparable Silver plan for $300–$450 — often keeping the same primary-care doctor in-network.
The timing move that saves people money: you have 60 days from the date your coverage ends to enroll in a marketplace plan. Unlike COBRA, marketplace coverage is not retroactive — it starts on a future date, so a gap is possible if you wait. Before you pay that first COBRA invoice, it's worth a 10-minute call to compare. If an ACA plan beats COBRA, we help you enroll; if COBRA is genuinely better for your situation, we'll tell you that too.
Colorado runs its own exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, rather than using HealthCare.gov. That matters more than it sounds: state-based exchanges set their own Open Enrollment dates, can recognize special enrollment situations the federal marketplace does not, and sometimes administer state-only programs that have no federal equivalent. Check the Connect for Health Colorado calendar rather than assuming the federal dates apply to you. Colorado runs its own exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, and also offers standardized 'Colorado Option' plans — so residents enroll through the state rather than HealthCare.gov.
One thing to check before you pay a COBRA invoice in Colorado: if losing the job dropped your household income, the marketplace subsidy you now qualify for is usually far cheaper than COBRA — and if the drop was steep, the children may qualify for CHIP, which runs year-round rather than on the 60-day clock. For most above-poverty households, though, the win is simply a subsidized marketplace plan COBRA can never match on price. Colorado expanded Medicaid (Health First Colorado) to adults up to 138% of the poverty line, so lower-income residents may qualify for no-cost coverage while marketplace premium tax credits apply above that threshold.
The carriers writing individual business in Colorado include Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, Select Health, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and others. Networks and pricing are set county by county rather than statewide, so the same carrier can be the best value in one metro and the wrong choice an hour away. We quote Denver, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins — and every county in between.
Don't see yours? Call a licensed agent — most answers take under two minutes.
Yes. We help Colorado residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
The Colorado Option is a set of standardized plans the state designed, sold by private carriers through Connect for Health Colorado. Because the benefits are fixed, you can compare carriers on price and network for the same coverage — they made up about 47% of 2025 enrollments. We'll show you how they stack up against other plans for your situation.
Through Connect for Health Colorado, the exchange Colorado runs itself — not HealthCare.gov. A licensed agent can enroll you in the same plans at the same price. Because Colorado sets its own calendar, check the Open Enrollment dates against Connect for Health Colorado rather than assuming the federal ones apply to you.
The carriers writing individual business in Colorado include Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, Select Health, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and others. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Denver are not the lineup in Fort Collins. We are independent and compare across all of them rather than steering you to one company.
Start with your ZIP. Two quick questions, then a licensed agent brings you the plans you actually qualify for — no cost, no obligation.