Divorce changes nearly everything about your days, and your health insurance may be part of it. If you were covered through your spouse's job, that coverage often ends when the marriage does. Nobody planned the paperwork, and the dates can move fast. You may also be thinking about children, a doctor you see every month, or a prescription. This page walks through the options in plain words. Prime Health Consultants is an independent insurance agency in Sunrise, Florida. Our licensed advisors explain private health plans in English or Spanish. We are not lawyers, so questions about your divorce agreement belong with your attorney.
Do not wait for the final paperwork to ask. Your spouse can contact their employer's benefits office, or you can call the insurance company, and ask when your coverage ends after a divorce. The plan sets that date. Sometimes it is the day the divorce is final, and sometimes it is the end of that month. Ask for the answer in writing.
Divorce is a qualifying event for COBRA, which lets a former spouse keep the plan for a limited time. For a divorce, that is generally up to thirty-six months. Under COBRA, you or your spouse must tell the plan administrator within sixty days of the divorce, or you may lose the right. After that, you generally pay the full cost of the plan, plus any administrative charge. Smaller employers fall under a Florida state continuation law instead, with its own deadlines, so ask the employer that offers the plan.
COBRA keeps the same doctors and the same network, which helps if you want to keep your doctors. If you drop COBRA by choice or stop paying before it runs out, that generally does not open a Marketplace special enrollment period. It is not the only door, so keep reading.
If you have a job with a health plan, losing your spouse's coverage generally lets you join yours outside the yearly enrollment period. The window is often short, around thirty days, so ask HR right away.
On HealthCare.gov, which Florida uses, losing coverage generally opens a special enrollment period of sixty days. The divorce alone does not do it; losing the coverage does. Help with monthly costs depends on your own household income. We do not sell Marketplace plans, so start there if you want to look at one.
A private plan belongs to you, not to a spouse or an employer, and you can apply any time of year. The plans we offer are private plans, not ACA Marketplace plans, and they have exclusions and limitations. An advisor explains the details.
Our plans are for people under 65. Please keep your current coverage in place until a new plan is active.
In many families the children stay on the plan of the parent who covers them, but a divorce agreement or court order can say who provides coverage. Your attorney can explain what yours requires. Once you know, we can help you compare plans for yourself or for the children.
If your spouse died and you were on their job plan, you generally have COBRA rights too, up to thirty-six months, and the other options above are open to you. We are sorry for your loss. There is no hurry to talk with us today, but the dates on the paperwork are real, so please have someone you trust check them with you.
Prime Health Consultants is not affiliated with HealthCare.gov or any government agency. The private plans we offer are not Marketplace plans and don't qualify for premium tax credits. To see Marketplace plans and any savings you qualify for, visit HealthCare.gov.
Get your end date and COBRA paperwork. Ask the plan for both in writing.
Talk with a licensed advisor. We explain private plans and say plainly when COBRA or the Marketplace may be the better path.
Apply while your coverage is still active. Keep the old coverage until the new plan begins.
Prime Health Consultants
1550 Sawgrass Corporate Pkwy, 3rd Floor, Sunrise, FL 33323Phone: (305) 333-1434 · WhatsApp: (786) 675-7004
Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–9 PM · Sat 9 AM–8 PM · Sun 9 AM–5 PM
Get directionsAreas we serve: All of Florida, by phone, WhatsApp or video, and in person at our Sunrise office. Our licensed agent Julio Fernandez is licensed in 30 states.
It depends on the plan. Some end it on the date of the divorce and some at the end of that month. Ask your spouse's employer or the insurance company, and get the date in writing.
You or your spouse generally must notify the plan administrator within sixty days of the divorce. After the plan sends your COBRA notice, you generally have sixty days to elect. Smaller employers fall under a Florida state continuation law instead, with its own deadlines, so ask the employer right away. Check your notice for exact deadlines.
Not by itself. Losing your coverage is what generally opens the special enrollment period. HealthCare.gov can tell you what applies.
That depends on which parent's plan covers them and on your divorce agreement. Ask your attorney what is required, then we can help you compare options.
Yes. A private plan belongs to you, not to a spouse or an employer, and you can apply any time of year. Keep your current coverage in place until the new plan is active.
No. We explain health plans. Questions about your divorce agreement or court order belong with your attorney.
No. We work with plans for people under 65 and we do not offer Medicare. For Medicare questions, contact Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 or Florida SHINE at 1-800-963-5337.