Health insurance for Colorado travel nurses with no marketplace PPO and no short-term plans
The short answer: For 2026, Colorado's marketplace offers HMO and EPO medical coverage, but no PPO medical plans. Short-term policies aren't sold there either. If your income qualifies for a tax credit, Connect for Health Colorado is usually the most affordable route. Healthy nurses earning above that limit can also compare medically underwritten nationwide PPO plans that stay active between assignments.
Is your current assignment almost finished? Since Colorado doesn't offer short-term coverage, it's important to plan ahead. Call 813-999-0101 or complete the quick check below without answering any medical questions.
Plan my next step with Sam JaberColorado is where you maintain your nursing license, receive your mail, and keep your home, but your assignments can take you somewhere completely different. Whether you're working as a 1099 contractor or using agency insurance tied to a particular assignment, you need a health plan that protects you while you're working and during the time between contracts.
Colorado presents two particular challenges for traveling nurses. According to CMS's state marketplace plan files, Connect for Health Colorado has no PPO medical coverage for 2026. Its six participating insurers offer HMO and EPO networks centered on Colorado. On top of that, insurers don't sell short-term policies in the state, removing the temporary coverage option many travel nurses elsewhere use between assignments.
Here's the first thing to determine: will your total household income for this year qualify you for a premium tax credit? For a single person choosing 2027 coverage during open enrollment beginning November 1, federal assistance ends at $63,840 in income, compared with $62,600 for 2026. That represents 400% of the poverty guideline. The income threshold increases for households with more members.
If you qualify for help with the premium
Colorado residents shop through Connect for Health Colorado rather than HealthCare.gov because Colorado operates its own marketplace. If your household income qualifies for premium credits, coverage purchased there will generally be your most affordable available choice, even with its network restrictions. That's because those tax credits can only be applied toward marketplace insurance.
Keep two things in mind when estimating income. First, include earnings from every contract and account for the weeks you aren't working throughout the year. Second, advance premium credits are reconciled when you file your taxes, so higher actual earnings could require you to repay part or all of the assistance. Stipends also need consideration, and your tax preparer can explain how yours are treated. See Our subsidy cliff page for the point where assistance stops.
There's also the network issue. With a Colorado HMO or EPO, care outside the state is generally limited to emergencies. Federal requirements protect emergency hospital treatment outside the network without prior authorization and apply in-network cost sharing. But routine preventive appointments, prescription refills, and follow-up visits generally need to wait until you're back home in Colorado.
Your next move is to estimate income across assignments and breaks. Sam Jaber can help calculate your projected annual earnings and review Connect for Health Colorado coverage that matches your circumstances. Want to discuss it by phone? Call 813-999-0101.
Plan my estimate with Sam JaberIf your contracts pay above the help line
Many travel nursing contracts provide enough income to exceed the premium credit threshold. Once that happens, you're paying the entire Colorado marketplace premium yourself. In return, you're getting an HMO or EPO whose routine medical coverage is limited to Colorado providers, even though your assignments may keep you outside the state for most of the year.
That's the problem for many higher-earning travel nurses: the monthly premium can be substantial while the network may be difficult to use where they're actually working. Whether another coverage choice would serve you better depends largely on your health and eligibility.
If you're healthy and want coverage that doesn't depend on the contract
If you're in good health, it's worth exploring plans outside Connect for Health Colorado. Some private insurers offer medically underwritten coverage using nationwide PPO networks with participating providers across the country. These policies aren't part of the Colorado marketplace's HMO and EPO selection. That means you may be able to visit an in-network clinic near an assignment in Tucson just as you could near your home in Aurora.
Here's what that can look like when you're working travel assignments:
- Your medical history is reviewed before approval. The application asks health-related questions, and the insurer uses those answers to decide whether to accept your application, reject it, or offer coverage that excludes a condition you already have. These policies are primarily intended for nurses in good health.
- Medical screening can make the premium more affordable. When insurers cover applicants who meet their health requirements rather than accepting everyone, their costs can be lower. That's why a healthy travel nurse may qualify for a premium below the full Connect for Health Colorado marketplace price.
- Your insurance doesn't have to end when an assignment does. With coverage you maintain yourself, the policy can stay active throughout your contracts and the weeks between them. If an assignment gets cancelled, your insurance isn't automatically cancelled with it. That's especially valuable in Colorado, where short-term coverage isn't available as a backup.
- Coverage details depend on the policy you choose. Insurance sold outside the marketplace can have its own benefit provisions and limitations, so take time to review those terms before enrolling. Our guide to medical underwriting explains how the health review works.
Compare the nationwide PPO premium and provider directory against a full-price Colorado HMO or EPO for the same household. Make sure you check participating providers in the cities where you commonly accept nursing assignments, not just near home.
Next, compare coverage you can keep between assignments. Sam Jaber can provide a nationwide PPO quote alongside Connect for Health Colorado pricing. You won't need to answer medical questions in the online request. Prefer a phone conversation? Call 813-999-0101.
Get a PPO price from Sam JaberIf you have a condition that needs steady care
Having someone in your household with an existing medical condition doesn't automatically mean you should dismiss private insurance. The answer depends on the specific circumstances. Sam Jaber can review how the available choices apply to your household before you decide which coverage to pursue.
Colorado has six insurers participating in its marketplace for 2026, although the companies available to you depend on your home address. Whatever type of coverage you're considering, verify that your physicians and prescriptions are included. Also plan specialist visits around the weeks when your nursing assignments bring you back home.
Your next step is finding coverage that supports your ongoing care. Sam Jaber can review marketplace plans available at your Colorado address while accounting for your doctors and prescription needs. Would you rather speak directly? Call 813-999-0101.
Review my plans with Sam JaberIf one contract ends before the next begins
The biggest Colorado-specific issue for travel nurses is handling time between assignments. Since short-term insurance isn't sold there, you'll need another way to remain covered during those gaps. If your staffing agency meets the federal COBRA employer-size requirement, you can generally continue its health plan by paying up to 102% of the total premium.
When your staffing agency is below the federal COBRA size requirement, Colorado continuation under C.R.S. 10-16-108 may be available instead. But you must have maintained coverage continuously for at least six months before it terminates. A single 13-week assignment lasts approximately three months, so joining a small agency's health plan for only that contract may leave you ineligible for continuation altogether.
When your agency health coverage ends, you qualify for a 60-day special enrollment period through Connect for Health Colorado, even outside the regular enrollment season. For many nurses, a simpler approach is maintaining coverage that isn't tied to an assignment at all. You can review the enrollment deadlines in Our between-jobs guide.
Plan your coverage before your assignment ends and the gap begins. Sam Jaber can review your eligibility for federal COBRA or Colorado continuation and compare those costs with coverage you maintain yourself. Want to speak directly? Call 813-999-0101.
Plan the gap with Sam JaberMatch your situation
Look for the row that best describes how your working year is structured. Each one takes you toward the same next step, since discussing your contract schedule and income directly is usually quicker than trying to settle everything through a comparison chart.
| Your year looks like | A common fit | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Income inside the credit range | A Connect for Health Colorado plan with the credit, routine care at home | Plan the estimate with Sam Jaber |
| Above the range and healthy | An underwritten plan on a nationwide PPO network that runs between contracts | Get a side-by-side from Sam Jaber |
| Above the range, in ongoing treatment | A side-by-side look at the marketplace and private options | Review plans with Sam Jaber |
| Between contracts right now | COBRA, state continuation if you qualify, or a plan of your own | Call Sam Jaber within the 60 days |
If your circumstances don't fit neatly into any of those rows, that's a good time to call and discuss them. The Colorado guide for self-employed buyers explains the state's available programs. Nurses living in Ohio, where marketplace medical coverage is entirely HMO, can also review their own page.
Would you prefer help sorting through the choices? Complete the two-minute check with your household and income details, without any medical questions. Sam Jaber will review which option suits your assignment schedule. Want to talk instead? Call 813-999-0101.
Do the two-minute checkColorado travel nurse questions
Can travel nurses get a PPO on Connect for Health Colorado?
No, not for medical insurance in 2026. Connect for Health Colorado offers HMO and EPO medical plans exclusively. The PPO networks available through that marketplace are limited to separate, stand-alone dental insurance policies.
What can a travel nurse in Colorado use for health insurance between contracts?
Because insurers don't sell short-term policies in Colorado, you'll need another approach. You can continue agency coverage through federal COBRA or Colorado continuation, use the special enrollment period after losing coverage to select a marketplace plan, or maintain your own policy that remains active regardless of your nursing contracts.
Does Colorado's continuation law cover me after a 13-week contract?
You might not qualify. Colorado continuation requires six consecutive months of coverage before the policy ends, while one 13-week nursing assignment doesn't meet that minimum. This becomes important when your staffing agency is too small for federal COBRA, which doesn't impose the same six-month coverage requirement.
Is an EPO better than an HMO for a nurse who travels?
For regular medical appointments, there usually isn't a major difference. An EPO generally doesn't require specialist referrals, but both EPO and HMO plans typically restrict covered routine treatment to participating providers. Colorado's networks are local, although genuine emergency treatment is covered anywhere using in-network cost sharing.