In Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming), only Colorado is currently running its own State-Based Marketplace, called Connect for Health Colorado; the other states in the region are using the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM), which can be accessed at Healthcare.gov. The Open Enrollment Period for the 2025 Federal Marketplace and Colorado’s State-Based Marketplace will begin on November 1, 2024 and end January 15, 2025.

Important dates regarding coverage for the Federal Marketplace:

    • December 15, 2024 is the last day to enroll in or change plans for coverage to start January 1, 2025.
    • Coverage will begin January 1, 2025 for those who enroll in or change plans by December 15, 2024 and pay their first premium.
    • Coverage will begin February 1, 2025 for those who enroll in or change plans December 16, 2024 through January 15, 2025 and pay their first premium.

Consumers who experience certain qualifying life events may be able to obtain Marketplace coverage outside of open enrollment through a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) between January 16, 2025 and October 31, 2025. People can apply for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at any time of year.

A Special Enrollment Period has been announced for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries due to the unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Condition under the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Between March 31, 2023 and November 30, 2024, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will allow Marketplace-eligible consumers to submit a new application or update an existing application through HealthCare.gov.

Health Centers are uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of helping clients to enroll in either SBMs or FFMs as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The resources and information available on these webpages are provided to assist Health Center staff with their outreach and enrollment needs and help educate Health Center patients about how to understand and utilize health insurance.

Please click for information and resources on:

Outreach & Enrollment
Healthcare Reform
Health Insurance Literacy

To receive updates on outreach and enrollment topics such as health insurance policy changes, upcoming trainings and webinars, health disparities, resources to close the gap, and other outreach and enrollment resources, sign up for the CHAMPS Region VIII Health Equity Digest.

Visit the CHAMPS Outreach & Enrollment Tips and Tools webpage.
Visit the CHAMPS Marketplace Outreach & Enrollment Resources webpage section.
Visit the CHAMPS Post-Open Enrollment Resources (i.e. SEP) webpage section.

Please contact the CHAMPS Programs Coordinator, Population Health if you have any questions about these materials or would like to share any other useful resources.

Note: Download an overview of CHAMPS’ Health Equity online resources. Please feel free to distribute this flyer to other interested parties.