Grand Junction residents using the state's health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, will see individual premiums rise by 15.5% for 2027 plans. Small-group premiums in Grand Junction are set to increase by nearly 13%. These figures come from the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI), which recently approved premiums for the state's individual and small-group health insurance marketplaces, often referred to as Obamacare plans. Connect for Health Colorado offers private insurance options to Coloradans who do not qualify for Medicaid or have access to employer-sponsored insurance, also providing tax credits to help make plans more affordable.
The projected increase is partly attributed to Congress' decision last year not to renew federal enhanced premium tax credits, which began in 2021, according to the DOI press release. This expiration has had a significant impact on local costs. The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative noted that insurance plan costs effectively doubled last year, specifically rising 95% in Mesa County, immediately following the expiration of these tax credits. This sudden spike contributed to a 7% reduction in enrollment statewide, ending several years of growing participation in the marketplace.
Statewide, individual marketplace premiums are approved to rise by an average of 10%, while small-group market rates will increase by 14%. Governor Jared Polis stated that Colorado is working to slow insurance rate increases in the private market, keeping them below the national average and saving Coloradans millions of dollars. Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway said, "Where Congress has failed, Colorado is stepping up," though he emphasized that Congress "still needs to restore the subsidies" that millions of Americans relied on to afford their health insurance.
The DOI press release indicated that various state efforts to mitigate rising premiums have placed Coloradans in a better financial position compared to peers in other states. Still, these efforts cannot fully replace the expired federal tax credits. Even with the challenges, Colorado saw smaller enrollment drops than many other states because it worked to backfill the expired tax credits in 2025.
Lawmakers continued implementing solutions through 2026. This included Senate Bill 178, titled “Health Insurance Affordability Measures,” which invested $140 million into the state’s reinsurance program and Colorado Premium Assistance (CPA) fund. The DOI press release explained that thanks to CPA, financially assisted customers are estimated to see a net premium increase of just $20 per month from 2026 to 2027. Without this state support, increases would have been more than three times higher, averaging $69 per month.
Furthermore, Colorado’s reinsurance program is expected to save Coloradans a total of nearly $470 million on premiums next year. This program works by spreading the risk of higher medical costs, which are a primary cause of rising premiums and are most common in mountain and rural areas. The state agency estimated that its reinsurance program especially benefited western Colorado and Grand Junction, saving 31.5% on premiums for the upcoming plan year. For comparison, areas like Pueblo saved nearly 11% and Boulder saved approximately 12.5%.
Marketplace premiums typically rise annually, though often to a lesser extent. For context, increases were 5.6% in 2025, 9.7% in 2024, 10.4% in 2023, and 1.1% in 2022.
Open enrollment for 2027 health insurance plans begins on November 1.
