As a nonpartisan research organization, the Colorado Health Institute doesn’t take positions, but we do believe that policy should be guided by data and evidence. So when President Donald Trump shared a broad outline of what the administration is calling The Great Healthcare Plan, we couldn’t wait to begin analyzing the implications for Coloradans.
In its current form, the one-page plan is short on specifics, but it signals a desire to lower health insurance premiums and fund cost-sharing reductions to help make care more affordable for those who are insured.
CHI’s analysis of 2025 Colorado Health Access Survey data released earlier this week helps to shed light on one priority of The Great Healthcare Plan. This report showcases the experiences of Coloradans who purchase their health coverage through the individual market. This group is typically most affected by the sort of provisions the Trump plan seems to be prioritizing.
Among the findings:
- Roughly 100,000 Coloradans with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level purchase plans through Connect for Health Colorado, the state exchange created under the Affordable Care Act. This group is facing higher premiums for 2026 coverage because enhanced subsidies (a key sticking point that led to last year’s government shutdown) were discontinued.
- More than a quarter (27.3%) of Coloradans on the individual market reported difficulty affording some type of care in 2025. The plan references a cost-sharing reduction, which is a funding mechanism typically used to lower out-of-pocket cost barriers.
- Fewer than half of Coloradans with individual market coverage (49.0%) say the health care system is meeting their needs or the needs of their families — the lowest rating of any insured group.
Under the proposed Trump framework, questions remain unanswered. Among them:
- What exactly are “direct-to-consumer payments” intended to replace? The framework suggests premium subsidies would be replaced by direct payments to consumers, yet this is referenced in the same section as cost-sharing reductions, which are usually used to address out-of-pocket costs such as copays, not premiums.
- Would these direct payments go only to people whose plans were purchased on Connect for Health, as is currently the case? Would they cover other types of plans?
- Would they go only to people at certain income levels, as is currently the case? Or would others be included?
- How much would these payments be?
As additional details about the Trump administration’s health care priorities take shape, CHI is ready to assess the framework, provide context, and use CHAS data to understand what it means for Coloradans.
