Short-Term Medical Insurance in Colorado

What to know before you choose

Where they are sold, short-term plans are not ACA plans. They can use medical underwriting, exclude pre-existing conditions, cap what they pay, and leave out benefits such as maternity, mental health and some prescriptions. A federal rule for new policies sold on or after September 1, 2024 limits a short-term policy to an initial term of no more than 3 months and no more than 4 months in total, counting renewals and extensions (89 FR 23338, April 3, 2024).

Colorado writes its own limits into law. Colorado's statute defines a short-term policy as a nonrenewable individual plan with a specified duration of not more than six months, issued only to people who have not had more than one short-term policy from any company in the past twelve months; the application must ask, and a yes means the policy cannot be issued (C.R.S. 10-16-102(60)). So under Colorado law you cannot chain short-term plans together into a year of coverage, and the federal rule is shorter still.

Colorado also requires a warning in bold on every short-term form, advert and application: the policy is not the minimum essential coverage required by the Affordable Care Act and is not required to cover the ten essential health benefits listed in Colorado law (Division of Insurance Regulation 4-2-41). The statute adds a required notice that conditions treated, diagnosed or prescribed for in the twelve months before the policy starts can be excluded. In plain English: whatever you were seen for in the last year may not be paid for.

Is anyone selling it? I could not find an official Colorado list of companies currently selling short-term medical plans, and I will not repeat a claim I cannot check. What I can tell you is what I see when I look on the day you call, and that the rules above leave very little room for a short-term plan to be a good buy here.

Be careful with look-alikes. The Colorado Division of Insurance warns that people trying to sell low cost coverage often offer products that do not meet ACA requirements: trade association plans, health care sharing ministries and other limited plans. They can limit pre-existing conditions, prescriptions, hospital and emergency care, and mental health treatment, leaving you with large bills (Colorado DOI consumer advisory).

A worked example of the better bridge, as an estimate. Say a single adult in Brighton leaves a job this fall and expects $45,000 of income in 2027. That is about 282% of the 2026 poverty guideline used for 2027 coverage ($15,960 for one person, HHS), so under the 2027 IRS table they are expected to pay about 9.66% of income, roughly $362 a month, toward the benchmark Silver plan in their area, with a tax credit paying the rest of that benchmark premium (IRS Rev. Proc. 2026-26). Unlike a short-term plan, that coverage takes pre-existing conditions and covers the essential health benefits. The marketplace sets the final figures when you apply.

Compare that with COBRA. Your former employer can charge up to 102% of what the plan costs (U.S. Department of Labor), and no tax credit applies. Ask HR for the monthly COBRA rate and put it next to the marketplace figure after your credit. For a gap of a month or two COBRA can make sense, especially mid-year after you have met a deductible; for longer gaps the marketplace usually wins.

The better bridge is usually one of these. If you lost job coverage, moved, married or had a baby, you have a Special Enrollment Period, usually 60 days, for a Colorado marketplace plan. A new employer plan may start sooner than you think if you ask about the waiting period. And if your income is low, Health First Colorado enrolls year round.

For people who truly have no other option, I explain the trade-offs line by line, including what a limited benefit plan will and will not pay, so you never mistake it for full health insurance.

Your needs and situation are unique, and I am committed to spending the time to get to know you so you get coverage and support that fits your lifestyle.

Colorado rules to know

Short-term policies in Colorado: not more than six months, nonrenewable, and no more than two in any twelve months, because the policy can only be issued to someone who has had no more than one in the past year (C.R.S. 10-16-102(60)).

Every short-term form and advert must say in bold that it is not ACA minimum essential coverage and is not required to cover the ten essential health benefits (Regulation 4-2-41).

Open Enrollment for 2027 the Colorado marketplace plans runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15 for a January 1 start (The Colorado marketplace).

You can check that an agent and an insurance company are licensed in Colorado with the Division of Insurance at 303-894-7490 before you buy anything (Colorado DOI consumer advisory).

How and when to enroll

1. First, check for a Special Enrollment Period: losing coverage, a move, marriage, a birth or adoption. The window is usually 60 days.
2. Second, check Health First Colorado if your income has dropped; it accepts applications year round.
3. Third, compare COBRA with a Colorado marketplace plan for the months you need.
4. Only then consider a limited plan, with every exclusion read and understood in writing.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Letting a Special Enrollment window close while you wait on a temporary plan, then waiting until the next Open Enrollment for real coverage.
• Buying a health care sharing ministry or association plan believing it is insurance.
• Assuming a short-term plan will pay for a condition you saw a doctor about in the last twelve months.
• Giving bank details or a Social Security number before you have the plan documents in writing.

What Lisa checks for you

1. Whether your situation opens a Special Enrollment Period, and the exact date that window closes.
2. Your expected income, to estimate a marketplace tax credit or point you to Health First Colorado.
3. The COBRA rate from your former employer against marketplace plans after your credit.
4. Whether any short-term plan is actually offered in Colorado on the day you call, and if so, its exclusions in writing.
5. The licence of any company or agent offering you a plan, with the Division of Insurance.

Questions to ask Lisa

• Do I have a Special Enrollment Period, and when does it end?
• What would a Colorado marketplace plan cost me after my tax credit?
• Is COBRA cheaper for the months I need?
• Is any short-term plan actually sold in Colorado right now?
• Is this plan someone offered me real insurance, or a sharing ministry or association plan?

How Lisa helps

• A check first for Special Enrollment Periods and tax credits on a full plan
• COBRA versus the Colorado marketplace compared for your gap
• An honest answer on whether any short-term plan is sold in Colorado right now
• Limited benefit and look-alike plans explained before you sign
• Licence checks you can do yourself with the Colorado Division of Insurance
• A plan for moving into permanent coverage on time

Who it fits

You have a short gap in coverage, between jobs or waiting for a new employer plan, and you want to stay protected without buying something that will not pay when you need it.