I am in the health insurance industry and I would be happy to help your friend. However, this site doesn't like private info, so I might have to have a mod message you my contact info. I would be happy to disclose our agency info, I work with one of the largest private producers in Colorado. /brag

If there are health conditions, then your friend won't qualify for private insurance.

Colorado has a program for individuals who can't qualify otherwise, that program is called CoverColorado and can be found at www.covercolorado.org. They don't work with private agents like me, so I don't have much info and would direct your friend to that website.

Obamacare created an additional high risk program called GettingUSCovered. Info for that can be found at the covercolorado website.

Basically, if your friend has had health insurance within the last six months, go to covercolorado. If your friend has not had insurance in the last six months, then the gettinguscovered program would be a better fit.

If your friend is a new resident or can qualify for medicaid or something, there could be potential issues.

Insurance is regulated at the state level, so what happens here might be different than what they do in new mexico. Each case is different as well, so it's hard to give specific info without disclosure, which this site doesn't like for obvious reasons.

I doubt I would be able to sell a policy and earn a commission to your friend, but I'm pretty dedicated to helping others navigate this notoriously confusing industry, and I'd be happy to spend a bit of time helping out.

edit: If your friend needs coverage immediately, it's not going to happen. The only 'immediate' plan would be a short term policy through assurant or humana, and those don't cover pre-existing conditions, which it seems that your friend needs. Getting covered takes time. Understand that your friend is asking an insurance company to take them on as a risk, so the insurance carriers are going to make sure your friend isn't the next million dollar claim.

Is your friend self employed? Is there any possibility of getting covered through an employer? You might be able to qualify as a 'business group of one' under colorado's insurance regulations, but you have to have the business, tax returns etc.

edit2: It sucks, but insurance is expensive because healthcare is expensive. There are more MRI machines in the city limits of Philly than there are in the entire country of Canada [citation needed].