In mid-August, Patty Fontneau, the chief executive officer ofConnect for Health Colorado, left her post to take a job withCigna. ¶ It was the latest controversy in a far-from-perfect yearfor Colorado's state exchange and Fontneau both: there was a greatdeal of criticism surrounding the compensation plans for Fontneauand other executives; and in March, a mid-level manager for theexchange, Christa Ann McClure, was forced to resign afterallegations of theft and fraud surfaced—allegations made by aprevious employer in Montana.

“We set three models—one at 75,000, one at 136,000, and ourhigh-level model is 200,000 people enrolled,” Davis notes. “We hitour mid-level model in late June, so we're really proud ofthat.

“Our state exchange is not like the exchanges in most states,”he continues, “because ours is a stand-alone nonprofitorganization. We're working in partnership with the state to refercitizens for Medicaid, and as of April, 178,000 Coloradans havequalified for Medicaid since we opened our doors. So that'sessentially 315,000 Coloradans who have received health insuranceas of late June, if you include the public options. So,big-picture, we've had a pretty sincere and large impact ofColorado's health care outlook.”