Consumers enrolled in a health insurance plan that will cease Colorado operations on Aug. 31 have one more insurance carrier to choose from that will honor their previously-paid deductibles in 2023.

According to the state Division of Insurance, Denver Health will honor those payments, which will help Friday Health Plans of Colorado members avoid starting over on deductibles for 2023.

Denver Health joins Kaiser Permanente as the only two insurance carriers in the state that will provide that benefit to Friday’s enrollees.

At the same time, the division is warning Friday’s 30,000 customers to be cautious about other plans that could provide limited benefits, lower quality insurance, and might not meet Affordable Care Act requirements.

In a statement Thursday, the division said Denver Health has agreed to honor deductibles Friday Health members have already paid for 2023, if they choose to enroll in a Denver Health plan for the rest of the year.

Friday Health members have until the end of the month to enroll in another plan to avoid interruptions in health care insurance. 

Last month, the division announced it was seeking liquidation of Friday Health Plans of Colorado and terminating all plans by Aug. 31.

“Diving deeper into Friday’s finances after putting the company into rehabilitation, the Division became concerned about its ability to make it through the rest of the year,” Commissioner of Insurance Michael Conway said. “As a result, I am taking this step to protect Coloradans and the people enrolled in Friday, and to protect the open enrollment process for 2024.”

The division also warned consumers about “low-quality, limited coverage health insurance or health insurance-like products that DO NOT meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“There are people and groups that will try to lure unsuspecting Friday members into buying short-term plans, trade association plans, health care sharing ministries or other limited plans. Such plans can leave consumers stuck with huge medical bills from doctors and hospitals, as the plans deny and limit health care coverage,” the statement said. 

Those plans could limit coverage for pre-existing conditions, prescriptions, hospitalizations and emergency room treatment, provide no coverage for mental or behavioral health or limit coverage for outpatients and same-day surgery.

The division said consumers should avoid plans that use high-pressure sales tactics, identify as limited benefit or supplemental plans, claim they’re “just as good” as ACA plans, or where agents make continued calls, emails, texts or even unannounced home visits.

Consumers seeking replacements for Friday should ask for plan details in writing, how the coverage works when visiting a doctor for tests and follow-up care, or how the plan would cover a hospital stay with testing, surgery and specialists. 

The division has updated its Frequently Asked questions website as it pertains to Friday Health. 

Friday Health FAWMarianneGoodland, Colorado Politics
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
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Friday Health Plans of Colorado is one of four health insurers that have left the Colorado market in the last year.