Connect For Health Colorado OEP Updates

Connect For Health Colorado has updates for open enrollment, plan document delays in the shopping portal, renewals for 2023 coverage, and more.

Open Enrollment

Summary

On Nov. 1, Connect for Health Colorado’s health insurance Marketplace opened for Coloradans to enroll in 2023 coverage. This year, there are several new initiatives, as outlined in the Open Enrollment Message Platform. Here’s a summary:

• Colorado Connect launches for the first time to better address health care and coverage gaps by providing products, services and expanded financial help that complement offerings on the Marketplace.
• Every company that sells health insurance in the state will begin offering new Colorado Option plans with a specific set of lower, fixed costs on both Colorado Connect and Connect for Health Colorado. Learn more here.
• The OmniSalud Program becomes available for undocumented Coloradans to compare and shop for Colorado Option plans on Colorado Connect and receive financial help if eligible. Learn more here.
• Customers in households affected by the family glitch now have a way to get more financial help than they used to be eligible for. Learn more here.

Impacts to Their Work

Each of these new initiatives come with their own impacts, which are outlined in detail in the Open Enrollment Message Platform. It is regularly updated with new information.

Training Resources

These training curricula are available in C4U to help you learn more about these new initiatives:

• Colorado Connect and The OmniSalud Program
• Colorado Option Standardized Health Plans

Plan Documents Delay in Shopping Portal

Summary

Most English-language plan documents will not be available in the Connect for Health Colorado Shopping Portal until Thursday Nov. 3, pending any delays. They expect that Spanish-language plan documents will be available in the Shopping Portal by Nov. 16.

Workaround

You can work around this by viewing 2023 Summaries of Benefits and Coverage in the Quick Cost and Plan Finder tool (QCPF). 

Impacts to Customers

Customers will not be able to access plan documents in the Shopping Portal on Nov. 1 or Nov. 2. The Customer Service Center may advise them to find the plan in QCPF, or to wait for the documents to be added.

All About Renewals for 2023 Coverage

Here’s What’s Happening

 Summary

Connect for Health Colorado has started to send customers notices about renewals via mail or email, so customers can expect to see their notices by early November (see page 3 for a full timeline). The notices inform customers whether they are eligible for plan renewal and provide them next steps to enroll in a plan (if needed).

This year, there are no changes to the process for renewing customers or the functionality for processing plan renewals. However, two health insurance companies (Bright Health and Oscar Health) will not offer plans in Colorado going forward, so their current customers are not eligible for plan renewal and will need to shop for a plan with a new insurance company. 

Background

The “auto-renewal” process allows customers to automatically re-enroll in the same health plan for the next plan year, if eligible. This process provides a streamlined method to help customers stay covered and avoid a gap in coverage.

There are two types of auto-renewals for customers who are eligible.

1. Active Renewal occurs when an eligible customer logs in to their account by Dec. 1 and actively renews the plan they had in 2022 themselves. When a customer actively renews their plan, the enrollment is sent to the health insurance company within one business day and their coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2023.
2. Passive Renewal occurs when an eligible customer has not selected a new plan by Dec. 1. On that day, Connect for Health Colorado will automatically renew the same plan the customer had in 2022 for coverage in 2023. Since that coverage starts on Jan. 1, they will experience no gap in coverage.

Customers who are not eligible for renewal will need to actively enroll in a new plan during Open Enrollment. Connect for Health Colorado will suggest plans for these customers when possible. (See Impacts to Customers Who Are Not Eligible for Plan Renewal below).

Impacts to Their Work

The Customer Service Center will operate during extended hours from Dec. 1 through Dec. 15 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to support plan renewals and the first health insurance enrollment deadline on Dec. 15. 

Anyone who works with customers should advise them to review their account and update their information where needed. This will ensure a smooth plan renewal process. 

Impacts to Customers Who Are Eligible for Plan Renewal

Customers are eligible for plan renewal if they meet these circumstances:

• The customer is currently enrolled in a plan through Connect for Health Colorado.
• The customer does not cancel their plan before the end of the year.
• The plan(s) the customer had will be available next year.

On Dec. 1, Connect for Health Colorado will renew all plans for eligible customers who did not enroll in a different plan before then. They have a last chance to change their plan for Jan. 1 coverage between Dec. 2 and 15. They can self-serve this process by:

1. logging into their account,
2. cancelling their current enrollment,
3. submitting a new application to receive an updated determination,
4. shopping for a new plan and enrolling in it.

Note: Customers who do this may receive two notifications and two invoices for Jan. 1 coverage, so they should carefully monitor their email or mail for the most recent notifications from Connect for Health Colorado and the health insurance company(s).

After plans renew on Dec. 1, customers will receive plan, billing, and account information for the next year from their selected health insurance company. Customers can find more information about what happens after they enroll on our website here.

Impacts to Customers Who Are Not Eligible for Plan Renewal

Customers may have become ineligible for plan renewal for a number of reasons. It is important that they update their account information to find out if they have an option to renew their plan or if they need to shop for a new one.

Suggested Plans

Customers who are not eligible for plan renewal because their plan is not available next year may see “suggested plans” in their account. These are plans similar to the one they currently have. Customers must select a suggested plan to enroll in by Dec. 1 or they will need to submit a new application, shop, and enroll just like new customers.

The customer’s suggested plans list depends on the plan they currently have. They may be suggested Colorado Option standardized plans or plans from different health insurance companies.

Bright Health and Oscar Health Customers

Customers who have a plan with Bright Health or Oscar Health will not be able to renew their current plan for coverage in 2023 because neither insurance company will offer plans in Colorado after 2022. Those customers may see suggested plans in their account and they have access to a Special Enrollment Period. Learn more about it here.

Plan Renewal Timeline