New Colorado Health Plan Offered by Rocky Mountain Health Plan and CoverColorado

Thanks to a recent collaboration between CoverColorado and Rocky Mountain Health Plans, high-risk residents in the state of Colorado now have access to a new Colorado health plan. In accordance with the national healthcare reform laws, temporary coverage under this plan became available in July 2010 to people with pre-existing conditions.

This plan is temporary because it is scheduled to phase out in 2014 when federal reform laws kick in; specifically the laws prohibiting insurance companies from rejecting people with diseases like cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

The Denver Post reported that while the state was a few days behind the national deadline for offering such a plan, Colorado is still ahead of most other states in this area. However, states that fail to offer their own plans for people with pre-existing conditions will have one created for them by the federal government.

Reform advocates from across the state, including Governor Ritter, were excited about taking the first steps toward improving the availability of health insurance to so many Colorado families. This new Colorado health plan ensures the availability of affordable health coverage for residents who were previously denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions.

Other planned changes to Colorado health plans include the ability for young adults to stay on their family’s health plan until the age of 26, and the requirement that all Colorado health care plans cover colonoscopies and mammograms without increasing co-payments or deductibles.

In addition, starting last month, federal reform began prohibiting insurers from rejecting anyone under the age of 19 who has a pre-existing condition. Federal law now also prohibits health insurers from imposing lifetime dollar limitations on benefits that are considered essential, such as long-term hospitalization.

For more information on how these changes might impact your ability to purchase a Colorado health plan, contact a Colorado health insurance broker. Michael Horvat is a health insurance expert and broker with HealthQuotes.com in Colorado Springs, CO. If you are searching for Colorado health insurance plans or quotes, please give Michael a call anytime at 800-345-0789.