Colorado residents face 10 percent increase to buy health insurance

DENVER — For people buying their own health insurance, the cost of coverage in Colorado is going up.

Statewide, an average individual policy will cost almost 10 percent more next year, the Colorado Division of Insurance announced Friday. For small businesses and nonprofit agencies — those with two to 99 employees — the increases will average a more modest 3 percent. Overall, the increase average will be about 7 percent.

Cost increases will vary greatly from one region of the state to another. In Denver and Boulder, individual polices will cost about 6 percent more. In Glenwood Springs, the average premium will jump 25 percent.

Premium payments will grow partly because the least expensive insurance on the Colorado market, Colorado HealthOP, will not be allowed to provide coverage in 2016.

The insurance division decided to shut down the cooperative this month after a federal program provided unexpectedly low reimbursements to newcomers in the insurance market. The division concluded the cooperative lacked adequate reserves as a result.

Read the rest of this story at http://www.denverpost.com.