Cheapest Health Insurance in Colorado: Affordable Plans for 2026

Kaiser Permanente has the cheapest health insurance in Colorado, with an average monthly premium of $599 for a 40-year-old, $55 below the $654 state average. Denver Health Medical Plan and Select Health also cost less than average. UnitedHealthcare has the highest average premium of the six insurers we compared.

* Rates shown are based on the rounded average of each provider's monthly plan rates in Colorado for a 40-year-old. Differences compare each provider with the $654 state average, which is the average of the six providers shown. Your actual rates will vary based on age, location and chosen plan.

The most affordable health insurance plans in Colorado for a 40-year-old buying a Silver HMO start at $513 a month for Kaiser Permanente's KP Colorado Option Silver, a state-standardized plan. MOOP is the out-of-pocket maximum, the most you'll pay for covered care in a year. Use the filters below to compare plans:

Kaiser Permanente has the cheapest HMO plans in Colorado at the Bronze and Silver levels, averaging $435 and $542 per month for a 40-year-old. Anthem wins at the Gold level at $511 per month, with a lower deductible and out-of-pocket maximum than Kaiser's Silver tier. There are no Platinum HMO plans available in Colorado.

HMOs limit coverage to a specific network of doctors and hospitals. You'll choose a primary care physician who coordinates your care and refers you to in-network specialists. Out-of-network care isn't covered except in emergencies.

* Rates shown are statewide averages for 40-year-olds.

Select Health is the most affordable EPO health insurance provider in Colorado at every metal level in our analysis, averaging $426 per month for Bronze, $589 for Silver and $566 for Gold plans. Although the Gold plan has a higher deductible than Silver ($4,400 compared with $3,600), it costs $23 less per month and its out-of-pocket maximum is $1,388 lower. Select Health’s Gold plan costs less than its Silver plan because Colorado insurers add the cost of cost-sharing reductions to Silver premiums. Cost-sharing reductions are deductible and copay discounts that lower-income enrollees get only on Silver plans.

EPO plans restrict coverage to an insurer’s provider network but, unlike HMOs, they don’t require a primary care doctor or referrals to see specialists. This allows you to visit any in-network specialist directly.

* Rates shown are statewide averages for 40-year-olds.

The cheapest health insurance in Colorado ranges from $295 per month at age 18 to $905 at age 60, and the lowest-cost carrier and plan type change by age. Colorado residents under 30 can buy Kaiser Permanente Catastrophic plans, which have the lowest premiums but a $10,600 deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. Catastrophic plans cover preventive care and three primary care visits a year before the deductible.   

Federal premium tax credits can't be used on Catastrophic plans. At ages 40, 50 and 60, Select Health’s Bronze EPO is the cheapest option. It costs $426 per month at 40 and $905 at 60. Catastrophic plans are limited to people under 30 and those who qualify for a hardship or affordability exemption.

HSA-eligible plans are high-deductible plans that let you open a health savings account, where you can set aside pre-tax money for qualified medical expenses. Denver Health Medical Plan has the cheapest HSA-eligible HMO at $452 per month, followed by Cigna Healthcare’s Bronze EPO at $503. 

Both have high deductibles of $6,950 and $6,500, respectively. They’re best suited to healthy shoppers who expect limited medical care and want the tax benefits of an HSA. If you need regular healthcare, a higher-premium plan with a lower deductible costs less overall in our estimates. Kaiser Permanente's Gold HMO has the lowest estimated total yearly cost of $8,651 at $5,000 in medical bills.

* Rates shown are statewide averages for 40-year-olds.

Select Health's Bronze EPO has the lowest estimated total yearly cost for a 40-year-old at $1,000 in medical bills, and Kaiser Permanente's Gold HMO has the lowest at $5,000 and $20,000.

Estimated out-of-pocket costs assume the member pays covered expenses up to the deductible and 20% of each bill afterward (coinsurance), capped at the plan’s MOOP limit. We added this amount to annual premiums and selected the plan with the lowest estimated total annual cost for each usage level. Actual costs will vary based on copays, coinsurance, covered services and negotiated network rates.

*We compared Colorado plans for a 40-year-old at three levels of annual medical expenses before insurance payments. Low usage is $1,000, moderate usage is $5,000 and high usage is $20,000. We rounded each monthly premium to the nearest dollar and multiplied it by 12 to calculate annual premiums.

Colorado residents can lower their monthly premiums through the state's Connect for Health Colorado exchange and income-based subsidies. Bronze plans from insurers such as Kaiser Permanente, Anthem and Select Health cost the least monthly. Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) cover qualifying low-income households at little to no cost.

We analyzed rate data from Connect for Health Colorado, the state's official health insurance marketplace, to identify which insurers have the lowest premiums for different plan types and demographics.

Our Analysis Approach

We collected plan data for consumers aged 18, 26, 40, 50 and 60 to cover the full age spectrum from teens through pre-Medicare seniors. We ranked providers by their average monthly premiums for 40-year-olds as our baseline "cheapest overall" category, since 40 is a common benchmark age for comparing marketplace premiums. 

Each insurer's MoneyGeek Rating, out of 5, combines three sub-scores on the same 5-point scale. Affordability makes up 60% of the rating, and the deductible and MOOP scores make up 20% each. Affordability rates premium costs. The deductible and MOOP scores rate what members pay before coverage begins and the most they pay for covered care in a year. Ratings and sub-scores on the cards are rounded to one decimal place, so a rating worked out from the rounded sub-scores can differ from the card by up to 0.1.