DENVER – Colorado’s Health Care Future issued the following statement in response to the Colorado Division of Insurance’s misleading recent announcement, which claimed that insurance carriers have met Colorado Option cost control targets and that the program continues to generate savings for Coloradans.

“The Division of Insurance’s claims that the Colorado Option saves people money and drives competition are not supported by the facts. The reality is that the state government-controlled system continues to fall short of its central promise to lower health insurance premiums for Colorado families and businesses.

“Three years after implementation, the program has failed once again to meet its premium reduction targets as required by statute for 2026 bronze, silver or gold plans anywhere in the state. The people of Colorado are not falling for the Colorado Option’s false promises; many consumers found that non-Colorado Option plans were the most affordable choice in the individual market.

“This confirms what we have long known to be true: the Colorado Option is not meeting its premium savings targets in Colorado. The state should instead focus on building on what’s already working in our health care system.”

Colorado Public Option Fails to Deliver on Affordability: 

• Carriers’ 2026 rate filings demonstrate that no Colorado Option plan met the state’s required premium reduction targets for bronze, silver or gold plans anywhere in Colorado.
• In 2026, Colorado Option plans are more expensive than non-Colorado Option plans for 85 percent of Coloradans seeking individual market coverage.
• In Denver, where about 40 percent of Colorado’s individual market customers live, Colorado Option plans are still falling well short of the program’s promised savings. In 2026, average monthly premiums for bronze plans are nearly 39 percent higher than the state’s target, while average monthly premiums for silver plan are about 36 percent higher than the target.

Reinsurance, Not the Colorado Option, Is Driving Savings: 

• In 18 of Colorado’s 25 service areas, Colorado Option premium savings were less than two percent. In those same areas, Colorado’s reinsurance program reduced premiums by 15 to 32 percent, with a statewide average of more than 20 percent.
• In Denver, the Colorado Option reduced premiums by approximately 0.3 percent, compared to more than 16 percent from reinsurance.

Read more on the Colorado Option’s failure to achieve its premium reduction goals in 2024, 2025 and 2026.