Does COBRA Ending Count as Qualifying Event for Special Enrollment


I currently have insurance through Cobra. This is due to end by October 31 2015. I will need to find and sign up for other insurance coverage by then. Does this count as a “qualifying event” to allow me to enroll outside of the open enrollment window?

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Thanks. It help

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My Cobra ends Oct 6. I talked with 2 different people at the exchange and they told me I cannot apply for special enrollment until Oct 7th for health exchange insurance that only starts the first of every month, so Nov 1st. That’s a 3 weeks gap that I’m uninsured. Short term insurance isn’t available. This is ridiculous.

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That can be frustrating to have a gap. It does happen. Sometimes it can be avoided (by starting the new plan before the old one ends), sometimes it can’t.

This is one reason an underlying single payer system makes a ton of sense. We think of those who need a fallback as being those who don’t work, but as we can see here, this is not always the case.

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If I retire at 64 and do NOT take COBRA from my employer, am I eligible for subsidies when signing up for Obamacare? My income will be from IRA and amount to approximately $25,000 for the year. Spouse and myself in household

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Yes, generally you would be. Make sure to enroll during open enrollment.

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Glynis golden Potts

I am being offered Cobra through my employer after being off work sick for 4 months and having my employer offered health insurance end as of 1/31/16. I also have a secondary health insurance through my spouse. Am I eligible for obama care health insurance under the Marketplace if I decide not to take the Cobra offered through my employer? I seem to be getting mixed messages from different groups that say they understand obamacare as well as the healthcare.gov website. So if you are eligible for Cobra and if you have a secondary health insurance through your spouse, can you sign up for insurance through the marketplace and elect not to take the cobra coverage?

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