Before you start

Colorado residence
Income information for subsidy or Medicaid eligibility
An SSN or ITIN for marketplace applications; OmniSalud has its own route and asks for neither
A qualifying life event, if enrolling outside the annual window

Step-by-step

1
Enrol in your employer's plan within the new-hire window
Typically 30 days from your start date. Compare the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum rather than the premium alone — a low-premium plan with a five-figure deductible is not cover, it is a discount card.
Via employerWho: YouFirst 30 days of employment
2
Without an employer plan, use Connect for Health Colorado
Colorado runs its own exchange rather than HealthCare.gov, so going to the federal site sends you in circles. It also lists Colorado Option plans — standardised designs with state-mandated premium reductions, which are the only plans on the market you can genuinely compare like for like across insurers.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check Health First Colorado eligibility first
Colorado expanded Medicaid, covering adults up to 138% of the federal poverty level with no premium. Newcomers on modest early incomes frequently qualify and do not realise it.
OnlineWho: You
4
If federal programmes exclude you, look at OmniSalud
Colorado runs a state-funded route offering subsidised coverage to residents regardless of immigration status, through a separate confidential platform. You are not asked for immigration status, enrolling does not count as a public charge, and from 2027 the coverage costs $15 a month. Capacity and enrolment windows are limited, so check the dates early.
OnlineWho: You
5
Register with a primary care practice before you need one
Community health centres operate on a sliding fee scale regardless of insurance status, and the HRSA finder lists the ones in El Paso County. Getting on a list while healthy is far easier than doing it during an episode.
In personWho: You
6
Take the altitude seriously for a fortnight
The city sits at 6,035 feet and the western neighbourhoods go higher. Newcomers get headaches, breathlessness and broken sleep for one to two weeks. If you have a cardiac or respiratory condition, are pregnant, or carry sickle cell trait, discuss the move with a doctor — this is a clinical factor here, not a novelty.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of Colorado residence
Income documentation for subsidies, Health First Colorado or OmniSalud
SSN or ITIN for marketplace applications
Immigration documents for marketplace eligibility categories
Evidence of losing prior coverage, if using a special enrolment period

Things most newcomers don’t know

OmniSalud covers people every federal programme excludes, and it is about to get a price.

Colorado runs a state-funded platform offering subsidised health coverage to residents regardless of immigration status — undocumented residents and DACA recipients specifically — kept separate from federal systems for confidentiality. You are not asked for immigration status and it does not count towards a public charge determination. The Division of Insurance has confirmed that from 2027 the coverage costs $15 a month, payable on time or cover lapses. Almost no general relocation guide mentions the programme exists.

Source: Colorado Division of Insurance — OmniSalud

Do not go to HealthCare.gov.

Colorado is a state-based marketplace. The federal site will not enrol you and the deadlines shown there are not necessarily Colorado's. Every subsidy, every Colorado Option plan and the OmniSalud referral route run through Connect for Health Colorado instead.

Source: Connect for Health Colorado

The main hospital is owned by the city.

Memorial Hospital belongs to the City of Colorado Springs and is operated under a long-term lease by UCHealth. It is the region's trauma centre and hosts Children's Hospital Colorado's southern campus, which means the paediatric and trauma capability here is stronger than a city this size would normally support.

Source: community-reported

Altitude is a clinical factor, not a talking point.

At 6,035 feet most healthy newcomers adapt within a fortnight. But altitude genuinely affects people with cardiac and respiratory conditions, complicates some pregnancies, can trigger crises in people with sickle cell trait, and raises UV exposure sharply. Raise the move with a doctor if any of that applies to you, and take the first two weeks of exercise gently.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Going to HealthCare.gov instead of Connect for Health Colorado.
Missing the 30-day new-hire enrolment window and waiting a year.
Assuming there is no option at all if you are excluded from federal programmes — OmniSalud exists.
Ignoring altitude with a pre-existing cardiac or respiratory condition.
Choosing on premium alone and meeting a five-figure deductible in January.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

Make it your personal checklist

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