Losing Employer Coverage: Your Options
Losing a group plan triggers a special enrollment period, which means you have options you wouldn't have in March otherwise. There are four, and they're worth checking in this order.
- Pre-existing conditions covered
- Enroll any day of the year
- A licensed advisor, no pressure
- No cost to talk it through
Step 1 of 5
Let's find your coverage
Start with your state.
Plans from nationally recognized carriers
Carriers include UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, Anthem, Allstate Health, Oscar.
What a private PPO can do that most plans can't.
Pre-existing conditions covered
An advisor tells you straight which plans will take your health history.
Enroll any day of the year
No six-week window. Coverage can start when you need it to.
Broad nationwide PPO networks
Keep your own doctor in most cases and stay covered across state lines.
Never sold to third parties
Your details stay with us and are never resold.
Your other options
What it does well
- Medicaid — if your new income qualifies, it's the cheapest and the best
- A subsidized marketplace plan — losing coverage opens a 60-day window
- COBRA — same plan, same doctors, continuity of deductible
- A spouse's employer plan — usually the cheapest real coverage available
Where it falls short
- Medicaid eligibility depends on your new, lower income — check it first
- The marketplace special enrollment window closes after 60 days
- COBRA's full unsubsidized premium is a shock to most budgets
- A spouse's plan has its own 30-day special enrollment deadline
Private PPO
What it does well
- No enrollment window to miss — available any day
- Typically far cheaper than COBRA for comparable access
- Broad nationwide PPO networks
- Not tied to your next employer or your next job title
Where it falls short
- Underwritten — approval isn't guaranteed
- No subsidy applies
- New plan, new deductible
Check a spouse's plan and Medicaid first, then price a subsidized marketplace plan, then compare COBRA against a private PPO. For a healthy person without a subsidy, the private PPO usually wins that last comparison by a wide margin — but it should be the fourth thing you check, not the first.
When the other option wins
A spouse's employer plan or Medicaid beats everything on this page. If either is open to you, take it.
Every option, side by side.
- COBRAHow it works:Same plan, full premium, 60 days to electBest when:Best if you're mid-treatment
- ACA MarketplaceHow it works:60-day special enrollment periodBest when:Best if your income qualifies for a subsidy
- MedicaidHow it works:Apply any time if income qualifiesBest when:Best on a sharply reduced income
- Spouse's planHow it works:Usually a special enrollment windowBest when:Best if their employer covers dependents well
- Private PPOHow it works:Apply any day, underwrittenBest when:Best if you're healthy and above the subsidy range
- Short-term planHow it works:Quick, limited, excludes conditionsBest when:Best only for a short, fixed gap
The honest answers.
How long do I have to decide?
Most windows are about 60 days from the date you lose coverage, for COBRA and for a marketplace special enrollment period. A private PPO has no window, but a gap in coverage can still leave you exposed.
Should I wait to see if I need COBRA?
Many people do. COBRA elected within the window is backdated, so you can look at other options first. Just don't let the 60 days run out.
Does my severance affect a subsidy?
It can. Marketplace subsidies are based on expected household income for the year, so severance and a new job's start date both matter to the estimate.
Stay close to the familiar when
- Mid-treatment: COBRA
- Lower income for the year: Marketplace or Medicaid
- Spouse has good benefits: their employer plan
Look at a private PPO when
- Healthy and above the subsidy range: private PPO
- Starting your own business: private PPO
- Retiring before 65: private PPO or marketplace, compared side by side
Everything above is general information, not advice about your situation and not a quote. Plan availability, pricing and underwriting vary by state and carrier.
Three steps, and you're never locked in.
- 01
Tell us the basics
State, household, pre-existing conditions and timing. About thirty seconds — no SSN, no date of birth.
- 02
A licensed advisor reaches out
Real options, real costs and the honest trade-offs, in plain English.
- 03
You decide
Enroll if it fits, or don't. No cost to talk and no obligation at any point.
See what you actually qualify for.
Four questions, a licensed advisor, a straight answer. No cost, no obligation, no pressure.
Secure & private. By submitting you agree to be contacted by a licensed advisor.
Year-round enrollment
Private PPO plans are not tied to open enrollment.
Never sold
Your details are not passed to a lead list.
256-bit SSL encrypted
Your details are protected from the first click.
No cost, no obligation
Talking it through is free. You decide.
Step 1 of 5
Let's find your coverage