Kaiser Permanente is worth comparing if you’re shopping for individual or family health insurance in Colorado. But the monthly premium is only part of the decision. You also need to be comfortable with how Kaiser delivers care—and confirm that the specific plan works with your doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions.
This guide focuses on individual and family coverage, including plans available through Connect for Health Colorado. Employer and Medicare plans can have different networks and benefits.
How Kaiser’s approach works
Kaiser combines health insurance with a system of medical offices, physicians, pharmacies, and affiliated providers.
For some people, having appointments, prescriptions, lab results, and medical records connected within one system is a major convenience. If you’re comfortable receiving much of your care through Kaiser, that approach can work well.
The bigger question comes when you already have doctors outside that system.
Don’t assume you can keep a doctor simply because their office accepts some Kaiser coverage. Check the specific plan and network, along with any referral or authorization requirements.
If keeping a particular specialist is essential, establish that before comparing premiums.
KP Colorado versus KP Select
Kaiser offers different networks in Colorado. Two names you’ll encounter are KP Colorado and KP Select.
Both include Kaiser Permanente’s own providers and facilities. The differences involve access to affiliated providers and locations outside Kaiser’s medical offices.
| Network | What to know |
|---|---|
| KP Colorado | A broader network of affiliated providers and facilities |
| KP Select | A more limited selection of affiliated providers and facilities, with premiums that may be lower |
Availability depends on where you live and the plan you choose. Colorado Option plans also need their own provider-network check; standardized benefits don’t mean every plan has the same doctors and hospitals.
A lower-premium network can be a sensible choice when it includes the care you need. Paying more for a broader network only helps if that additional access is useful to you.
Which hospitals can Kaiser members use?
Kaiser contracts with hospitals outside its own medical offices. The available hospitals depend on the network, location, and coverage.
Check the specific hospital campus, rather than assuming every location in a hospital system participates.
Also, hospital participation doesn’t necessarily mean you can independently choose any physician practicing there. For planned treatment, confirm the treating providers, referral requirements, and authorization—not just the hospital’s name.
Emergency care follows different rules from scheduled care. In an emergency, seek care at the nearest appropriate emergency department.
Switching to Kaiser: check these details first
If you’re moving from another insurance company, take a few minutes to plan the transition.
- Primary care: Would you keep your current doctor or establish care with a Kaiser provider?
- Specialists: Can you continue existing treatment, and are referrals or authorizations needed?
- Prescriptions: Are your medications covered, at what cost, and through which pharmacies?
- Scheduled care: How would an upcoming procedure, pregnancy, or ongoing treatment transfer?
- Location: Are the offices and facilities you would actually use convenient?
If you travel frequently or have a child attending college elsewhere, check coverage for care away from home. Emergency coverage doesn’t establish coverage for routine appointments outside your home service area.
Comparing Kaiser plans for 2027
Compare the premium after financial assistance, then look at what you would pay when using the plan.
Bronze plans can be worth considering when keeping monthly premiums down is a priority. Check which services have copays before the deductible and how much you could owe in an expensive year.
Silver plans deserve particular attention if you qualify for cost-sharing reductions. Those additional benefits are available only with eligible Silver coverage.
Gold plans may be worth the higher premium if their benefits reduce your expected treatment costs enough to offset it.
Kaiser also offers catastrophic coverage in certain areas for people who meet the enrollment requirements. Our 2027 catastrophic premium calculator compares available rate data from Kaiser and Anthem.
Individual market Bronze and catastrophic plans are HSA-compatible in 2027. You still need to meet the personal contribution requirements explained in our HSA guide.
Financial assistance with Kaiser coverage
Eligible Kaiser plans purchased through Connect for Health Colorado can qualify for financial assistance. Catastrophic plans cannot receive premium tax credits.
Before deciding a plan is too expensive—or assuming you won’t qualify for help—review your household’s projected income and eligibility.
Our Colorado subsidies guide explains the available assistance. The MAGI calculator can help you estimate the income used for marketplace eligibility.
Enrolling for 2027
Colorado’s open enrollment runs November 1, 2026, through January 15, 2027.
Choose a plan by December 15 for January 1 coverage. Selections made from December 16 through January 15 generally begin February 1.
See our open enrollment guide for details.
Help deciding whether Kaiser fits
Contact us with your county, household ages, preferred providers, prescriptions, and estimated annual income.
We can compare Kaiser with the other options available to you and help identify any care changes a switch would involve. Our broker assistance is free and doesn’t increase your insurance premium.