Colorado health exchange considers fees in order to survive

· Apr. 7, 2015, 8:33 pm

Colorado’s health care exchange wants to increase fees on people who buy health insurance both on and off the marketplace. Officials say the increase would be a matter of survival. 

The cost to run Colorado’s exchange, Connect for Health, is now expected to rise sharply, to $44 million a year. That's well above earlier projections.

To pay for it, the exchange’s interim CEO told board members Monday, the exchange is proposing it raise a pair of fees.

One fee would be on an assessment the exchange collects from insurance companies The other is a user fee for people who purchase insurance through the exchange.

The exchange has struggled with a series of unexpected expenses including technical glitches and call centers that cost more than initially projected.

Board members still need to vote on the proposed fee increases.

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