Front Porch
  • News
    • Current News
    • Most Views/Comments
      • Most Comments
      • Most Recent Comments
      • Most Views
    • Editors’ Favorites
    • Resource Guides
    • Central Park Articles
    • PDF Archives
    • Advanced Search
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Ongoing Events
    • Submit an Event
  • Business Directory
    • Please consider these businesses for your goods and services. They make the paper possible.
  • Display Ads
    • Why Advertise in the Front Porch?
    • Ad Rates and Sizes
    • Advertising Q&A
    • Sample Ads
    • Distribution Map
    • How Can We Help You?
    • Place An Ad
  • Web Ads
  • Ask Front Porch
  • More Info
    • Rack Locations
    • Content Submissions
    • About Us
    • Community Resources
  • Home/
  • Colorado HealthOp Shuts Down

Colorado HealthOp Shuts Down

December 1, 2015 / Madeline Schroeder / Business, Health & Wellness, Politics, State Issues / No Comments

Colorado HealthOp, the only health cooperative in the state, recently shut down after a change in the federal budget cut its loan money.

A quick recap of how cooperatives came to be: A cooperative (a consumer-oriented and operated plan) is a nonprofit health insurance option. The theory is that with no profit motive, co-ops provide better coverage at lower rates and force other insurance companies to lower their prices, allowing more people to have coverage.

Julia Hutchins, CEO and founder of Colorado HealthOp says, “We started this company believing that consumers need a voice in healthcare.” The cooperative had the lowest rates on the exchange and provided good benefits, as well as incentives for policyholders to take care of their health.

“Everything was laid out really well… They were very proactive and would e-mail about my health. ‘Hey, I noticed you have asthma, here are some things you might want to know,” says Laura Mahony, Stapleton resident and one of the cooperative’s 80,000 policyholders until its recent closure.

From the beginning, critics said co-ops were doomed because they could not survive with low rates in the competitive marketplace. The cooperative was given 10 days to pull together funds after notice that it would not receive its expected federal loan. They had letters of intent for loans, but they did not have funds within the required deadline.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Advanced Search
Facebook Pagelike Widget
© 2018 Front Porch NE | 303-526-1969 | Denver, CO 80238 | FrontPorch@FrontPorchNE.com | Sitemap