5D58CD988326591A8725882A004E93FF Hearing Summary

Kevin Patterson, Chief Executive Officer, Connect for Health Colorado, presented on the 2022 open enrollment period.  Mr. Patterson referred to a power point during his presentation (Attachment A).

Mr. Patterson discussed the demographic of the individuals who purchase insurance coverage through the exchange. He spoke about the number of Colorado residents who are eligible for the advanced premium tax credit but not enrolled in a health plan through the exchange.

Mr. Patterson discussed the exchange's strategic plan. He spoke about the 19 enrollment centers located in rural and frontier areas of the state, including four new locations this year. He stated that only one Colorado county, Jackson, has a single health insurance provider in 2022.  And, the exchange has increased staff to focus on southern Colorado outreach leading to 16 new community partners.

Mr. Patterson discussed the increase in enrollments from 2021 to 2022 in rural counties. He state that 198,412 individuals enrolled in health plans during the 2022 open enrollment period, and three quarters of these individuals were eligible for financial assistance. He discussed average monthly plan cost to consumers and improvements in customer service, including call center wait times.  He discussed duel eligibility within households.  Duel eligibility means that some members in the household qualify for financial assistance through the exchange while other members of the household qualify for Medicaid or Child Health Plan Plus.

Mr. Patterson spoke about the exchange's efforts to let the public know about the advantages of purchasing insurance through the exchange. He discussed the implementation of state policies including working with the Department of Revenue to identify eligible individuals through tax returns. He discussed the activities of the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise (Senate Bill 20-215).

Mr. Patterson spoke about the exchange's focus to move forward as the public health emergency ends, including working with the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to communicate with consumers who are enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus.

Mr. Patterson responded to questions from the committee.