Health insurance for Colorado consultants who travel: finding a PPO outside the marketplace

Sam Jaber, Licensed Health Insurance Advisor · Updated October 2026 · Last reviewed October 1, 2026
NPN 20698748 · Licensed in 31 states, Colorado included · License details

The short answer: Colorado's 2026 marketplace offers HMO and EPO medical coverage, but no PPO plans, while full-price premiums increased roughly 21.2%. If you qualify for a tax credit, Connect for Health Colorado is generally your most affordable choice. Healthy consultants earning too much for credits can compare medically underwritten plans with nationwide PPO networks instead.

Maybe your consulting business is based in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs or Fort Collins, but your clients are in Austin, Chicago or somewhere across the country. You're paid by the project, responsible for buying your own insurance, and need coverage that follows you to those assignments.

According to CMS's state marketplace plan files, Connect for Health Colorado has no PPO medical coverage in 2026. Its six participating insurers offer HMOs and EPOs focused on Colorado providers. Meanwhile, full-price premiums climbed approximately 21.2%, alongside the state's decision to reduce funding for the reinsurance program that previously helped control those costs.

Start by answering this: does your expected household income fall within the premium tax credit limits? For a single consultant, federal assistance ends above $63,840 for 2027 coverage, with enrollment beginning November 1. The 2026 cutoff is $62,600. Both represent 400% of the poverty guideline, and larger families have higher thresholds.

If your fee income falls inside the credit range

Maybe you're newly self-employed or recently lost a major client. If that brings your income into the qualifying range, Connect for Health Colorado will generally offer your most affordable coverage, even with its HMO and EPO networks. That's because federal premium credits aren't available outside the marketplace.

There's additional help available in Colorado. Through Colorado Premium Assistance, eligible households below the program's income threshold receive state subsidies alongside federal credits. When applying, look at the combined assistance rather than estimating your premium using only the federal credit.

The tricky part is predicting your earnings. Consulting payments often come in unpredictable chunks, and advance credits get reconciled when you file taxes. Sign a substantial contract late in the year, and you could have to repay some or all of your assistance. Our explainer on the subsidy cliff explains what to watch for.

When you're traveling, your Colorado marketplace plan still covers emergencies. Federal requirements protect out-of-network emergency treatment without advance authorization and at in-network cost. For regular appointments and prescription refills, plan around the time you're back home.

If your engagements put you over the credit range

Once your income exceeds the credit threshold, you're responsible for the entire premium. In 2026, Colorado's average benchmark premium, meaning the second-lowest-cost silver plan, reached $557 monthly for someone age 40, following an average 21.2% increase.

That premium buys an HMO or EPO whose provider network is concentrated in Colorado, even if much of your working year happens elsewhere. Many consultants who don't qualify for credits question whether paying full marketplace rates makes sense. Your health becomes an important factor in deciding what to consider next.

Remember, $557 represents a statewide average at one age, not your personal quote. Your actual premium varies with your age, Colorado location and covered household members.

If you're healthy and your clients are out of state

Here's the alternative many traveling consultants want to explore. Private plans outside the marketplace can offer medically underwritten coverage through nationwide PPO networks. They aren't part of Connect for Health Colorado, so you're not restricted to its HMO and EPO choices. That means participating doctors near a client's Dallas office could be in network just as doctors in Lakewood could be.

The points that matter for a consultant:

• You'll answer medical questions when applying. Based on your health information, the insurer may approve your application, reject it, or exclude an existing condition. That's why these plans generally appeal to consultants who are healthy.
• The health screening helps explain the pricing. Insurers accepting only applicants who meet medical requirements take on less risk than plans open to everyone. As a result, healthy consultants may find premiums below Colorado's full marketplace rates.
• Check providers wherever your projects take you. Look up participating primary care doctors and urgent care facilities near your regular client locations, not just your Colorado address.
• Review the coverage before signing up. Unlike marketplace policies, these plans determine their own benefits, so understand what's included first. Our page on medical underwriting explains how they work.

What matters is comparing the nationwide PPO's network and monthly cost with a full-price Colorado HMO or EPO covering your household.

If you see a specialist or take a regular prescription

One advantage of marketplace coverage is that insurers accept applicants regardless of health at standard rates. Still, having a medical condition doesn't automatically mean private coverage isn't worth exploring. Sam Jaber can help you evaluate both approaches before choosing.

Colorado has six marketplace insurers, although your address may have fewer choices. Even one insurer's HMO and EPO can use different provider networks. Compare each plan's specialists and covered medications individually, then arrange your appointments around your consulting travel schedule.

If one engagement keeps you in another state for months

Consultants on lengthy assignments often wonder whether they should enroll through the marketplace where they're working. Generally, no. Your marketplace usually follows the state you call home and intend to return to. Taking a temporary project elsewhere doesn't change that, but permanently relocating can qualify you for special enrollment in your new state.

Say you're assigned to Minneapolis for six months. Your Colorado HMO or EPO generally won't cover nonemergency out-of-network care there. Meanwhile, your spouse and children may remain in Colorado, using local doctors regularly while you're away. When comparing household coverage, account for both sets of needs rather than focusing only on your own travel.

If your COBRA from a former firm is running out

Many consultants start their businesses while using COBRA from their previous employer. That coverage temporarily continues your former group plan and can cost up to 102% of its full premium. When COBRA expires, you have 60 days to enroll through Connect for Health Colorado. You can generally arrange replacement coverage before COBRA ends, allowing the new plan to begin immediately afterward.

For healthy consultants earning above the subsidy threshold, it's also worth comparing an underwritten nationwide PPO. To understand your other options after leaving employment, including Colorado's continuation requirements, read our guide for consultants leaving a Colorado job.

Which of these is you?

Look for the row that fits your situation this year. Whichever one applies, the next move is the same: a quick conversation about your projects, earnings and family makes the choice easier than sorting through a table.

Fit more than one row? We can figure that out over the phone. For additional state information, see the Colorado guide for self-employed buyers. If you're based in Virginia, where marketplace PPO availability varies by county, check our Virginia consultants page.

Questions from consultants in Colorado