Lost or Will Soon Lose Coverage

Have you recently lost your health insurance coverage? Will you lose your coverage soon? If so, you may still have options for health insurance that can cover your medical needs. Open enrollment periods and special enrollment periods, along with whether your loss of coverage is involuntary or voluntary, can determine when you can apply for new coverage.

Involuntary Loss of Coverage

Losing your health care coverage can be stressful. Fortunately, according to Covered California, as long as the loss wasn’t voluntary, your coverage loss is considered a qualifying life event. After you lose coverage, you have 60 days to enroll in a new health insurance plan.

There are lots of things that could result in your loss of health coverage, like:

• If you were enrolled in an employer-sponsored plan and lost your job, you probably lost coverage.
• If you were on Medi-Cal and experienced a raise in your income, you may have lost coverage.
• If you were on COBRA and it expired, you’ve lost coverage.
• If you had student coverage and you’re not a student anymore, you’ve lost or will soon lose coverage.
• If you were on a family plan with your parents and turned 26, you’ve probably lost coverage.
• If you were on a child-only plan and turned 19, you no longer qualify for that coverage.

Typically, in order to enroll, it would have to be during an open enrollment period. However, since you’ve recently experienced a life event, you are free to buy a new plan even if we’re not in an open enrollment period.

Voluntary Loss of Coverage

If you voluntarily lose your health care coverage, this will not be considered a qualifying life event that allows you to obtain a health insurance plan outside of the open enrollment period. A voluntary loss of coverage can include:

• Failing to pay your premium
• Dropping your coverage while you are working for your employer
• Canceling your COBRA coverage before the term expires

If you have lost coverage for any of these reasons, you may not qualify for a special enrollment period.

Special Enrollment Period

A special enrollment period is possible only for an involuntary loss of coverage. If you have a qualifying life event, you may be eligible for a special enrollment period, such as:

• Having a baby
• Getting married
• Adopting a child
• Gaining citizenship
• Involuntarily losing your coverage

While open enrollment dates are November 1 to December 15, special enrollment dates are December 16 to October 31. Ensure you apply for a new health insurance plan as soon as possible so you can avoid a gap in coverage.

What Are Your Insurance Options?

Your health insurance options fall under five categories for easier comparison. Each is distinguished by the percentage of the health care costs your insurance pays versus what you pay:

• Catastrophic: This type of plan will pay less than 60% of your health care costs. These plans are intended only for those who are under 30 or who are experiencing financial hardship.
• Bronze: This type of plan will pay 60% of your health care costs while you pay the remaining 40%.
• Silver: This type of plan will pay 70% of your health care costs while you pay the remaining 30%.
• Gold: This type of plan will pay 80% of your health care costs while you pay the remaining 20%.
• Platinum: This type of plan will pay 90% of your health care costs while you pay the remaining 10%.

Get a Quote From Health for California for a Health Insurance Plan

At Health for California, we can help you find the health insurance plan that’s right for you. With the right plan, you can ensure your medical needs are covered at a rate you can afford. We’ll help you compare the benefits, rates, coverages and metallic tier of every available plan to ensure you get the best deal at an affordable price.

Our quotes will include the insurance carrier’s name, the plan type, the plan category, what you can expect to pay and the total cost of the plan. If you are seeking health insurance, request a free quote from Health for California.