Cigna is Leaving Colorado | Here's What 41,000 Members Need to Do for 2027

Cigna is leaving Colorado's individual health insurance market at the end of 2026, and about 41,000 Coloradans need a different plan for 2027.

If you bought a Cigna individual or family plan yourself, this affects you. This isn't a rumor and it isn't a rate increase you can shop around — the plan itself is going away.

Here's what happened, what it means for you, and the order to do things in.

What Cigna announced

On April 30, 2026, Cigna announced it's exiting the ACA individual marketplace entirely, in all 11 states where it sells. That's about 369,000 people nationwide, and roughly 41,000 of them are here in Colorado.

The reason given was straightforward corporate math. Cigna's leadership said they couldn't get meaningful growth out of the individual segment and would rather put resources into employer plans, pharmacy benefits and specialty services. It's not about Colorado, and it's not about you as a member.

Important: this only affects individual and family plans you bought yourself. If your Cigna coverage comes through an employer, or if you have Cigna Medicare, dental or supplemental coverage, none of that is changing. This is the individual market only.

What happens to your current coverage

Your Cigna plan stays in force through December 31, 2026. You are not being dropped early, and nothing changes about your benefits between now and then. Use your coverage. Get the procedure done. Refill the prescriptions.

What you won't get is an automatic renewal. Every other carrier's members will be auto-renewed into a 2027 plan before open enrollment even starts. Cigna members won't be, because there's nothing to renew into. If you do nothing, you're uninsured on January 1.

Connect for Health Colorado is giving affected Cigna members a special enrollment period that runs through March 1, 2027. That's a real safety net and it's good that it exists. But understand what using it actually means: if you enroll in February, you have a coverage gap in January. Every dollar you spend on care during that gap is yours. Deductibles reset anyway on January 1, so there's no upside to waiting.

Treat March 1 as the emergency backstop. Treat December 15, 2026 as your actual deadline, because that's the last day to enroll for coverage that starts January 1.

Where you can go instead

The good news is Colorado's market didn't shrink — it grew. Seven carriers are selling individual plans here for 2027, including a brand new one.

Colorado Access is entering the market for the first time with a product line called Colorado Access Choice, available in 14 counties across the Denver metro, Boulder, the northern Front Range and the Colorado Springs area. They're a Colorado nonprofit that's run Medicaid and CHP+ coverage in this state for more than 30 years, so they're new to the individual market but not new to Colorado.

Alongside them you've got Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, Denver Health, Rocky Mountain and SelectHealth, all continuing. Depending on your county you'll have real choices.

The part people get wrong

When you're forced to switch carriers, the temptation is to sort by premium and pick the cheapest thing that looks familiar. That's how people end up discovering in February that their oncologist, their kid's pediatrician or their maintenance medication isn't covered.

Before you pick anything, write down three lists:

Your doctors and specialists, by name and clinic. Networks differ significantly between these carriers, and Kaiser in particular operates on a closed network model that works beautifully if you're in it and not at all if you're not.

Your prescriptions, with dosages. Formularies are not the same across carriers, and a drug that's a $10 copay on one plan can be a $300 coinsurance item on another.

Any procedures or treatment already scheduled for early 2027. Prior authorizations do not travel with you when you change carriers.

Bring those three lists to whoever helps you enroll. It takes fifteen minutes and it's the difference between a smooth switch and a bad surprise.

Don't assume you can't get help paying

Two things worth knowing while you're shopping.

Colorado has its own subsidy on top of the federal one. Colorado Premium Assistance knocks up to $80 a month off for the first person on the policy and up to $29 a month for each additional household member, for households between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. It applies automatically and it never has to be paid back.

The federal premium tax credit still exists too. The enhanced version that ran from 2021 through 2025 expired, so credits are smaller than they were and there's now a hard cutoff at 400% of the federal poverty level — $63,840 for one person, $132,000 for a household of four. Below that line, you likely still qualify for meaningful help. A lot of people heard "the subsidies ended" and assumed it applied to them. For most households, it doesn't.

Premiums in Colorado are rising about 11% on average for 2027, which is below the national median. Your actual number depends on your county, your age and your income.

Your timeline

Now through October: Get your lists together. Review your options. This is the calm part.

November 1: Open enrollment opens. Plans and final pricing are live.

December 15: Last day to enroll for coverage starting January 1, 2027. This is your real deadline.

December 31: Cigna coverage ends.

March 1, 2027: Special enrollment period for Cigna members closes. After this, you're locked out until 2028 without a qualifying life event.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cigna leaving Colorado completely? No. Cigna is exiting the individual and family market only. Employer-sponsored Cigna plans, Cigna Medicare products, and dental and supplemental coverage are not affected.

When does my Cigna plan actually end? December 31, 2026. Your coverage and benefits are unchanged until then.

Will I be automatically enrolled in a new plan? No. Auto-renewal doesn't apply when a carrier exits. You have to actively choose a new plan or you'll be uninsured on January 1, 2027.

How long do I have to pick a new plan? Enroll by December 15, 2026 for coverage starting January 1. Cigna members also have a special enrollment period through March 1, 2027, but enrolling after December 15 means a gap in coverage.

Which carriers can I switch to in Colorado? Seven carriers are offering individual plans for 2027, including new entrant Colorado Access in 14 counties, plus Anthem, Kaiser Permanente, Denver Health, Rocky Mountain and SelectHealth. Availability depends on your county.

Will my new plan cost more? Colorado's individual market is up roughly 11% on average for 2027, but your specific cost depends on your county, age, household size and income, and on whether you qualify for federal premium tax credits or Colorado Premium Assistance.

We do this for a living, and it costs you nothing

Switching carriers under a deadline is exactly the situation a broker is for. We can pull every plan available in your county, check your doctors and prescriptions against each network, run your subsidy eligibility, and get you enrolled — at no cost to you.

If you're one of the 41,000, reach out now while there's time to do it carefully. Mile High Health Brokers is taking appointments for October and November.