Whether you were laid off, quit, or had your hours cut, the clock started the day your plan ended. You have a limited window to get covered without a gap and without a medical underwriting penalty. Here is exactly what to do, in order.
Losing job-based coverage is a qualifying life event. It opens a special enrollment period, and private medically underwritten plans can usually be applied for year round. Most of our applications are approved in 24 to 48 hours. The mistake that costs people money is waiting until the COBRA letter arrives and then waiting some more.
This is the exact sequence we run. No portal maze, no call-center roulette, no quote and vanish.
Not your last day of work. The date your plan actually terminates, which is often the last day of that month. Everything downstream is measured from that date, so get it in writing from HR.
COBRA is your old plan at the full unsubsidized cost, because your employer stops paying their share. People are routinely shocked. Get the number, then get a private quote so you are comparing real figures instead of guessing.
A coverage gap is not just risk. It can affect how a new plan treats you. Applying while you are still covered is cleaner and faster than applying after.
Do not assume. Before you sign anything, we check whether the physicians and specialists you actually see are in network on the plan you are considering.
COBRA lets you keep the exact plan you had. That is its one real advantage, and if you are mid treatment or mid surgery it can be worth every penny. What people do not expect is the price. While you were employed, your employer was quietly paying most of your premium. COBRA is that same plan with that subsidy removed, plus an administrative fee. The plan did not get better. Only your share of the bill changed.
For a healthy household that is not in the middle of a treatment plan, a privately underwritten PPO is usually the comparison worth running. Premiums are typically lower than unsubsidized COBRA, the networks on the plans we place are nationwide, and there is no referral requirement to see a specialist. We measure any savings claim against an unsubsidized benchmark Silver or Gold marketplace plan for the same household. And to be straight with you: if you qualify for a subsidy, a private plan will probably cost you more, and we will tell you that.
One call. Licensed producer, not a call center. If your current plan is still the better deal, I will tell you that.
You get a licensed person, not a call center queue and not a case number. We ask what you were paying, what you were covered for, which doctors you want to keep, and whether anyone in the household has a condition that needs continuity. Then we lay out what is available to you, in plain numbers, including the option where you keep COBRA because that is genuinely the better call. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.
Most people who get burned in this situation were not uninsured for a year. They were uninsured for nineteen days, and something happened on day eleven. Emergency rooms do not care that your new plan starts next Tuesday. The entire reason to move on this in the first week is to make sure there is no Tuesday to wait for.
Losing job-based coverage is a qualifying life event that opens a special enrollment period, generally 60 days from the date your coverage ends. Separately, the privately underwritten PPO plans we place can usually be applied for year round, so you are not locked out if that window closes. The practical answer is to start immediately, because approval and effective dates take time.
Usually not. COBRA is your old employer plan priced without the employer contribution, so you are now paying the entire premium plus an administrative fee. For a healthy household, a privately underwritten PPO is frequently less expensive. For someone in active treatment, COBRA continuity can be worth the higher cost. We run both numbers before recommending either.
It depends on the condition and the plan type. Privately underwritten plans ask health questions, and some conditions affect eligibility or pricing. That is exactly why the conversation happens before an application, not after. If underwriting is not going to work in your favor, we will tell you that up front and look at other routes.
You are still able to apply. A gap does not disqualify you. It does mean you want to move quickly, because you are carrying the full financial risk of anything that happens between now and your effective date.
No. There is no fee to you for the consultation, the comparison, or the enrollment. Carriers compensate licensed producers, so my time costs you nothing whether you enroll or not.
Most applications on the plans we place are approved within 24 to 48 hours, and effective dates are commonly the first of the following month, sometimes sooner. The determining factor is usually how quickly the application gets submitted, which is why the first call matters more than people expect.
Under-65 coverage only. We do not sell Medicare.