Two Colorado insurers pull some plans from individual health care market

Tens of thousands of Coloradans will need to shop for new health coverage after two insurance companies told the state on Wednesday they're pulling plans from the individual market. 

About 96,000 Coloradans will be affected by plans being discontinued by Rocky Mountain HMO and Anthem, according to a press release from the state’s insurance division.

The move comes as the Republican majority in the Congress has so far declined to extend tax credits that help Coloradans afford to buy plans on the individual market.

The news came on the eve of a special legislative session where state legislators will be grappling with how to fill a billion-dollar budget hole.

The state's insurance commissioner urged federal lawmakers to renew the credits.

“I don’t know how we can ring alarm bells any louder. Coloradans need support,” said Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway. “Short of Congress doing what needs to be done and extending the premium tax credits, our elected leaders at the General Assembly can step in during the special legislative session to provide important support and help to stabilize the individual market.”

Conway said his agency is doing everything possible to stabilize the market. “But without action now, hardworking people are going to receive devastatingly high rate increases and more than a hundred thousand people will lose coverage as a result.”

Last month, the Colorado Division of Insurance released preliminary annual insurance rates for next year, saying it expected those rates to skyrocket after Congress sharply cut federal spending on health care and didn’t renew enhanced tax credits. The credits help hundreds of thousands Coloradans to afford to pay for insurance through Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s insurance exchange.

More than 100,000 Coloradans were already expected to lose coverage without having access to the tax subsidies.

“For Coloradans who remain enrolled, the average net rate increase for the majority of consumers will be more than 100 percent, and for many, will approach 200 percent,” the release said.

In a statement, Anthem described the move as a procedural step and said it hoped to later withdraw the notification.

“We are committed to ensuring Colorado residents have access to affordable, high-quality health coverage,” said Emily Snooks, an Anthem spokesperson, via email. “To meet regulatory filing requirements ahead of state decisions on 2026 individual health plan rates, we filed a notice indicating potential changes to our participation in certain areas of the Colorado Marketplace. This filing is a procedural step, resulting from the DOI’s timeline for rate approval. We hope to withdraw this notification and offer plans in as many regions as possible once the state rate review is complete. Most importantly, Anthem will remain in any community where our departure would otherwise leave Coloradans without coverage options.”

CPR reached out to Rocky Mountain HMO and was awaiting a response when this story was published.

A consumer health group blasted both Congress and the health plans and it too urged federal lawmakers to act. Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, said the move severely undercuts the Affordable Care Act.

“Their decision to cut health care and end the tax credits that significantly improved affordability for Coloradans is wreaking havoc on our individual market,” he said.

He said the two companies were responding to the damage caused by Congress. “They are leaving Coloradans in the lurch to protect their profits.” 

Despite the change, all counties will still have plans available in the individual market, according to the release. 

Open enrollment to sign up for new plans begins Nov. 1.

Rocky Mountain HMO filed to withdraw plans from several counties, according to the press release. It will still provide plans in the individual market, but it will no longer offer 20 plans in seven counties. Those include Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert and Jefferson. The discontinuance will affect 26,000 Coloradans.

Anthem HMO Colorado also filed to both discontinue plans and withdraw plans from certain counties. Their discontinuance filing announced plans to remove 21 plans impacting 11 counties and 32,000 members. In addition, it plans to no longer offer 41 plans in certain counties, impacting 37,000 members. These changes will result in ending coverage for almost 70,000 members — two-thirds of its current enrollment, according to the release.

Counties impacted:

This is a developing story.