Colorado: 158.4K QHPs thru 12/08; 3 days left to #GetCovered

I'm a little late with this one (spent pretty much the entire day dealing with cleaning up the aftermath of my Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day), but Connect for Health Colorado, the CO ACA exchange, issued their first update since December 17th with 3 days left to go before Open Enrollment ends for 2018:

Connect for Health Colorado® Reports Increase in Healthcare Plan Selections for 2018; Open Enrollment Deadline is Friday
Posted on Tuesday, January 9, 2018

DENVER — More than 158,000 Coloradans selected healthcare coverage for 2018 through the state health insurance Marketplace through January 8, 2018, a rate 2 percent ahead of signups one year ago, according to new data released today by Connect for Health Colorado®, days ahead of the enrollment deadline.

C4HCO is 2% ahead of the same date last year, and just 2% behind the final enrollment total from last year: 161,568 QHP selections. They're a mere 3,200 shy of breaking that number--which would also mean breaking their record, since last year they were 7.2% ahead of the year before. Whether they hit that mark or not, they've had an impressive run this year; in addition to the factors affecting every other state, Colorado is one of the very few states which went the "Broad Load" route for adding the cost of CSR reimbursements to their policies.

“We are pleased to see so many Coloradans take action to protect their health and their personal finances,” said Connect for Health Colorado CEO Kevin Patterson. “However, we know that there are many who have yet to act. The last minute is here. The last day to buy your own health insurance for 2018 is Friday, January 12. I urge anyone who does not have coverage yet to go to our site and see if they qualify for financial help. My message is, ‘Don’t leave money on the table.’ We know that too many Coloradans who qualify for financial help think that they don’t.”

With just three days remaining in the current Open Enrollment period, Coloradans have already selected 158,362 medical insurance plans. The total was 155,370 for the comparable period in 2017. Twenty percent of the 2018 plan selections are by customers who are new to Connect for Health Colorado and 80 percent are renewing customers.

After Friday, January 12, individuals and families can buy coverage only if they experience a life change event such as such as marriage, divorce, having a child, losing employer-sponsored insurance, or moving to Colorado. Coverage purchased now through January 12 will take effect February 1.