In general, if you have been enrolled in health insurance for at least one day and then lose coverage for due to losing full-time status or due to termination, you qualify for COBRA. This is true even if you elect to go from full-time to part-time or are fired.
When COBRA ends it triggers a 60 day special enrollment window to enroll in HealthCare.Gov or your state’s Marketplace. Enroll before COBRA ends to avoid gaps in coverage.
You can continue COBRA for your allotted time until you elect to obtain coverage from another source including another employer.
During open enrollment you can switch from COBRA to ObamaCare’s Marketplace at anytime, outside of open enrollment you must wait until COBRA ends.
When your COBRA expires it will trigger a special enrollment period allowing you to switch to a Marketplace plan.
If you retire or leave your job you can choose between ObamaCare and COBRA. This is true for essentially everyone. However cost assistance is based on income.
If you lose employer coverage you can take COBRA, if it is offered, or enroll in a Marketplace plan. You’ll qualify for a Special Enrollment Period
When COBRA ends it triggers a 120 day special enrollment period which starts 60 days before the cancellation and extends to 60 days after. This allows you to get a new plan and prevent a gap in coverage.
I was just laid off from my job of the past 19+ years. Do I qualify for ObamaCare, rather than paying COBRA?
What Happens if I Missed the Deadline for ObamaCare? If you miss the annual deadline for ObamaCare Open Enrollment, you might miss your opportunity for cost-assisted coverage. However, you may still have options for obtaining health insurance. Open enrollment for private individual and family health plans is limited each year. For example, most states have… Read More
How the American Rescue Plan Impacts the ACA The American Rescue Plan Act increased and expanded cost assistance under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). The Rescue Plan Act included repayment relief for 2020, $0 premiums and lower deductibles for those making up to 150% FPL from 2021-2022, and tax credits for those making up to… Read More
The American Rescue plan Act increases and expands cost assistance under the Affordable Care Act. Up to 29 million Americans stand to benefit from the changes.
A new stimulus bill being proposed would fully subsidize coverage up to 150% of the poverty level, would end the subsidy cliff for people who make over 400% FPL, and more.
When you lose employer based coverage for any reason other than non-payment you qualify for special enrollment in the health insurance marketplace (HealthCare.Gov or your state marketplace).
Getting Short Term Health Insurance For 2020; Including Short Term as an ObamaCare Alternative For 2020 you can opt to get short term health insurance instead of a marketplace plan, however short term plans don’t offer all the benefits, rights, and protections of comprehensive health insurance. Why Choose Short Term Insurance Since the fee for… Read More
Getting Short Term Health Insurance Instead of ObamaCare Short term health insurance can be used as primary health coverage in some cases. This is especially true for those who are healthy and want to keep costs low. Using Short Term Coverage As a Primary Health Insurance Using short term as your primary health insurance is… Read More
We cover everything you need to know about open enrollment in Medicare and the different open enrollment and special enrollment periods. When Is Medicare Open Enrollment? Medicare open enrollment lasts from October 15 to December 7 each year. Your coverage will start on January 1 of the new year. If you are already enrolled in… Read More
Getting Short Term Health Insurance For 2018 – 2019 For 2019 you can opt to get short term health insurance instead of a marketplace plan, however short term plans don’t offer all the benefits, rights, and protections of comprehensive health insurance. Why Choose Short Term Insurance Since the fee for not having coverage is reduced… Read More
The Trump administration is expanding short term health plans for 2019. The plans will be renewable for up to 36 months (like COBRA). The benefit is healthy Americans could pay less. However, costs are likely to be shifted to those on more robust plans.
What if you Don’t Have Medicare Part B? Many Americans enroll in Medicare Part A because it is free if you have enough Social Security quarters of employment. Part B has a fee, and you need to sign up for it and start paying for it during your first Medicare enrollment period or pay a… Read More
Understanding Short Term Health Insurance Under the Affordable Care Act We explain short term health insurance and how it is different than major medical coverage purchased on the marketplace during open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). Short term health insurance is typically a limited benefit health insurance. Short term doesn’t follow the new… Read More
What do you need to Know to Enroll in Medicare for 2018? We cover everything you need to know about open enrollment in Medicare 2018. Get the facts on 2018 Medicare open enrollment. When Is Medicare Open Enrollment For 2018? Medicare open enrollment lasts from October 15 to December 7 each year. Your coverage will start… Read More
Short Term Coverage Vs. Major Medical Coverage Short term and major medical insurance plans both provide coverage in case of a medical catastrophe, but they have significant differences. Short-term plans are typically used to fill in the gaps between major medical coverage. They act as a temporary coverage and often offer lower premiums for less… Read More
One may ask, “why do I need health insurance?” The simple answer is to protect ourselves against high medical costs and bankruptcy.
Open enrollment is still on for ObamaCare (the Affordable Care Act). 2018 open enrollment starts November 1, 2017, and ends December 15, 2017 (extended to January 2018 in some states).