Arvada pairs the historic storefronts of Olde Town with a G Line commuter rail connection into downtown Denver, making it a base for people who work all over the metro. Skilled trades, small contractors, and home-based professionals fill out the local business mix, and those are exactly the people who buy individual coverage. In Colorado, that shopping happens without any short-term option on the shelf.
The rules here
| Short-term products | Not available in Colorado |
| Extended short-term (multi-year) | Not available |
| Products available | ACA marketplace, supplemental |
| Exchange type | State-based (Connect for Health Colorado) |
| Open enrollment | Set by the state exchange, generally opening November 1 |
| Medicaid expansion | Yes |
What's available in Arvada
| Coverage line | Available here | Key limit | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace plans | Yes | Open enrollment or a qualifying event | ACA plans |
| Short-term medical | No | State caps are so restrictive no carrier sells them | Short-term |
| Extended short-term (multi-year) | No | Zero market under Colorado's rules | Extended plans |
| Fixed indemnity | No | Not sold as standalone coverage in Colorado | |
| Supplemental (accident, critical illness, dental, vision) | Yes | Fixed benefits beside major medical | Accident · Critical illness · Dental · Vision |
Supplemental products pay defined amounts for specific events. They are not minimum essential coverage and never replace a medical plan.
What one person pays for coverage in Colorado
Average monthly premiums for individual coverage. Family pricing differs; quotes are individual.
| Coverage type | Monthly premium (individual) | What that number is |
|---|---|---|
| ACA marketplace (before subsidy) | $673 avg. | State average, before tax credits (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| ACA marketplace (after average subsidy) | $187 after credit | State average, after the average tax credit, among subsidized enrollees (CMS Marketplace OEP, 2026).1 |
| Employer coverage (single / family) | $698 / $2081 single / family | State average total monthly premium, single / family; employee pays about $159/mo toward single coverage (MEPS-IC, 2024).2 |
| Medicaid | $0 or nominal for those who qualify | Program design, not an average; eligibility is income-based5 |
| Accident | $39.95 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Colorado with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
| Critical Illness | $55.08 median | Among GetHealthPlans.com clients in Colorado with individual coverage, as of July 2026.3 |
A tile setter's net income and a remote software contractor's gross look nothing alike to the subsidy formula. Estimates depend on annual household income and are never guaranteed until the application processes.
Averages from federal data and our own client base, not quotes. Your price depends on your age, household, income, and plan choice.
Arvada at a glance
The city has grown steadily as families settle between Denver and the foothills, with Olde Town's restaurant and retail district and a strong base of construction and trade businesses serving metro-wide demand. Rail access has drawn younger commuters who often start out in benefit-free contract work.
| Population | County | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| ~124,000 | Jefferson (FIPS 08059) | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood |
Three Arvada situations
Nate, 33, electrician who left a union shop to start his own outfit. Losing group coverage opened his Special Enrollment Period. He picks a marketplace plan through Connect for Health Colorado, and an accident supplement makes sense given ladders and live panels are his office.
Kayla, 29, marketing contractor riding the G Line to Denver clients. Contract work pays well without benefits. She enrolls each fall, keeps her income estimate current as contracts change, and added dental coverage her medical plan did not include.
Bill and Janet, 61 and 59, sold their plumbing business last year. The sale ended their group plan and boosted this year's income, which shrinks this year's credit. They model both years with an agent, buy the plan that covers their existing doctors, and let next year's lower income raise the credit at renewal.
How Colorado's rules work
Colorado regulates short-term limited duration insurance so restrictively that no carrier sells it; the market is effectively zero. That is the practical meaning of the No entries above, and it holds regardless of federal short-term policy, because state rules are the binding constraint.
Coverage in Colorado therefore runs through three channels. Connect for Health Colorado, the state-based exchange, sets its own open enrollment calendar, generally opening November 1. Health First Colorado, the state's expanded Medicaid program, covers adults on income alone. And qualifying life events open Special Enrollment Periods, generally 60 days, for midyear transitions like Nate's. There is no underwritten bridge product, so those windows are worth treating like the deadlines they are.
Striking out on your own? A licensed Colorado agent can time your coverage to the day your group plan ends. No obligation.
Keep reading — more Colorado guides
Premium data methodology. 1 Marketplace premium averages reflect the average monthly premium before advance premium tax credits, the average monthly premium after advance premium tax credits among subsidized enrollees, and the percentage of enrollees receiving advance premium tax credits, for Colorado, as reported in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files, 2026 plan year, available at cms.gov. Figures are statewide averages across all metal tiers, ages, and household sizes; your premium will differ based on your age, household, income, county, and plan selection.
2 Employer coverage averages reflect the average total monthly premium for single and family coverage at private-sector establishments in Colorado, including both employer and employee contributions, as reported in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (MEPS-IC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2024 tables, available at meps.ahrq.gov. Employee contribution figure reflects the average employee share of the single-coverage premium. Employer plan costs vary by employer, plan design, and firm size.
3 Client averages are calculated from GetHealthPlans.com (MTG Insurance Agency LLC) internal book-of-business records as of July 15, 2026 and reflect the median or mean monthly premium, as labeled, among active policies providing individual coverage (one covered person) of the stated product type held by our clients residing in the stated state or, where labeled agency-wide, across all states in which we operate. Family and multi-person policies are excluded so that figures reflect what one person pays. Figures are shown only for states and products where our records include a sufficient number of active individual policies to report a meaningful average, with a minimum of ten; combinations below that threshold are not shown. Where a figure is labeled "median," half of our client policies in that group pay less and half pay more. Our client base reflects the products we sell, skews toward medically underwritten coverage, and may not represent all buyers or all plans available in a state. These figures are historical averages of premiums actually paid by our clients, are not quotes, offers, or projections, and are not statements of what any individual will pay. Individual premiums are determined by the insurer at application based on age, location, term length, benefit selections, and underwriting outcomes.
4 No federal or state agency publishes average premium data for short-term limited duration insurance or fixed indemnity insurance. Where we do not display a client-base figure for these products, it is because we do not have sufficient policy volume in that state to report a meaningful average. Short-term and fixed indemnity products are medically underwritten, are not major medical coverage, are not required to cover pre-existing conditions or essential health benefits, and do not constitute minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
5 Medicaid and CHIP are public programs, not insurance products sold by this agency. Premiums are $0 or nominal for those who qualify; eligibility is determined by your state based on income, household size, and other factors. The figure shown describes program design, not an average. Contact your state Medicaid agency or HealthCare.gov to check eligibility.