I can help you find a nationwide PPO in Colorado. Let's look at how a Greeley contractor earning 1099 income from Weld County drilling work can prepare for both busy stretches and slower years.
Hi, I'm Sam Jaber, a Colorado-licensed health insurance broker. I regularly help contractors earning 1099 income, and we can handle the entire coverage process together over the phone.
Picture a contractor based in Greeley who inspects pipelines and facilities at well sites east of town and near the Wattenberg field. A couple of small firms hire him for individual jobs and issue 1099s rather than regular paychecks. During busy drilling and completion periods, more assignments come in than he can accept. But when oil prices drop and rigs leave, work can disappear quickly. Since he pays for his own health insurance, every fall means estimating income for a year largely controlled by decisions made at an operator's office.
I offer this coverage privately, outside the marketplace. It requires underwriting, but the network works whether you're visiting a Greeley clinic or traveling for an assignment in Texas or North Dakota.
You couldn't find that through Connect for Health Colorado. During 2026, marketplace medical coverage consisted entirely of HMOs and EPOs, with no PPO available in any Colorado county. Weld County offered plans from 6 insurers. One is exiting the state's individual market in 2027, leaving 5 of those 6 companies.
Your marketplace credit depends on projected net self-employment income for the year being covered, rather than last year's earnings. For an inspector, start with invoices and subtract truck payments, fuel, phone expenses, protective equipment, certifications and unpaid per diem. Federal assistance generally applies to households earning between 100% and 400% of the poverty level.
Your county determines the base premium. Weld County falls within Colorado's Area 6, where the Division of Insurance reports an average final rate increase of 10.0% for 2027. Colorado's reinsurance program is estimated to reduce premiums there by 21.0%, and that reduction is already reflected in quoted prices.
Here's something to watch this fall. If your 2026 coverage is with the departing insurer, you cannot renew that plan. You'll need to choose replacement coverage when enrollment begins November 1, 2026. Here's who is leaving the Colorado marketplace for 2027.
Suppose work stays busy all year and your income exceeds four times the poverty level. Federal credits disappear, leaving you paying full Weld County premiums for an HMO or EPO with routine care restricted to its network. That's a good reason for healthy contractors to compare a private nationwide PPO. Underwriting can result in approval, approval excluding a specific condition, or denial. Healthy applicants often find premiums below the marketplace's full price. I'll compare the actual benefits with you before you decide.
Next step: Once you have a clearer picture of next year's contracts, give me a call. We'll price a nationwide PPO alongside Weld County's unsubsidized options.
When contracts slow down, your household income might fall within the federal credit range. Eligible Coloradans can also receive Colorado Premium Assistance, the state's additional savings program, automatically applied to monthly premiums without another application. Connect for Health Colorado recognizes income changes as a possible trigger for a 60-day enrollment window. If business drops during the year, contact me then instead of putting it off until fall.
Make sure your doctors participate before choosing coverage. Weld County HMOs and EPOs generally restrict routine benefits to providers within their networks.
Next step: Share your invoices to date and the doctors you use. I'll calculate Weld County pricing after available federal and Colorado assistance.
Colorado's Medicaid expansion can help when income drops substantially. According to KFF, Health First Colorado covers qualifying parents and other adults up to 138% of the poverty level. Be accurate about all your invoices, since additional jobs near year's end could put you above that threshold.
Next step: If assignments have slowed, call me before entering your income estimate. We'll determine which side of the eligibility threshold your household falls on.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
Yes. Weld County had 6 marketplace insurers in 2026, but one is exiting Colorado's individual market. That leaves 5 existing companies for 2027, not counting any new entrants.
No. Throughout Colorado, 2026 marketplace medical plans were limited to HMO and EPO coverage.
It may. Connect for Health Colorado identifies income changes as circumstances that can qualify someone for a 60-day Special Enrollment Period.
Yes, subject to medical underwriting. I'll compare a quote with your available Weld County coverage.
Tell me where you live, who needs coverage, which insurer you have now, if any, and what you realistically expect to net this year. I'll compare Weld County plans with the credit applied against a private nationwide PPO.
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