If you haven’t bought your health insurance yet, expect a new media message

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
<p>Coloradans could have trouble finding primary care doctors due to increasing demand for their services.</p>
Photo: Doctor
Coloradans could have trouble finding primary care doctors due to increasing demand for their services.

The nonprofit group responsible for enrolling people in new coverage is changing tactics as it learns more about who is and isn't signing up.

Connect for Health is trying to enroll as many Coloradans as possible in new health coverage under the federal law.

Since opening October 1, the group’s marketing messages have focused on the benefits of health insurance.

Now, the messages will start reminding people they face a tax penalty if they don't have health coverage this year.

Connect for Health has been criticized for glitches in its sign-up process but CEO Patty Fontneau says the state has done a good job of winning customers so far.

"I'm proud of where Colorado is," Fontneau said. “I think we're getting the word out and people are continuing to have interest. They're continuing to shop with us and they're continuing to buy.”

So far, Connect for Health has signed up about 59,000 Coloradans for new, private coverage.

Another 81,000 have enrolled in Medicaid since October.

New data shows that most enrollments last year in Colorado and around the country happened in the last two weeks of December.