Your last day came, and with it a worry you did not plan for: your health insurance. Maybe a letter says your coverage ends this month. Maybe it already ended and you found out at the pharmacy counter. Either way, a few dates matter now, and you have more than one path. This page lays them out honestly, including the ones that are not us. Prime Health Consultants is an independent insurance agency in Sunrise, Florida. Our licensed advisors explain private health plans in plain language, in English or Spanish.
Get the exact day your job coverage ends. Your employer or the insurance company can tell you, and the answer may not be your last day of work. Some plans end coverage on the last day of the month.
Then look for a COBRA notice. Several of your choices come with short windows, often measured in weeks. Missing one can close a door, so write each date down.
COBRA lets you keep your former employer's health plan for a limited time. For many people that is up to eighteen months, and your notice lists your dates. You generally have sixty days to elect it. You usually pay the full cost your employer used to share, and the plan may add an administrative charge.
The big plus is that nothing changes: same plan, same doctors, same network. If you want to keep your doctors, that can matter a lot. Smaller employers fall under a Florida state continuation law instead, with its own deadlines, so ask your former employer.
If your spouse works for an employer with a health plan, losing your own coverage generally lets you join it outside the yearly enrollment period. That window is usually short, often about thirty days, so ask your spouse to check with HR right away. If you are under 26, a parent's plan may also be open to you.
Losing job-based coverage generally opens a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov, which Florida uses. You can usually apply up to sixty days before or after your coverage ends, and you may need to show proof, such as the letter from your employer. Help with monthly costs depends on your household income.
We do not sell Marketplace plans. If you expect your income to be low while you look for work, start at HealthCare.gov. Medicaid is another place to look if your household qualifies.
A private plan can be applied for any time of year, so a missed window does not stop you from applying. 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. Your advisor goes through the terms with you before you apply.
If you elect COBRA, keep paying it until the new plan is active. If you choose COBRA and later drop it, or stop paying before it runs out, that generally does not open a Marketplace special enrollment period, so decide within your sixty-day window and think before you cancel. If you cancel first and the new plan does not start when you expect, you generally cannot get COBRA back. Compare your options while your coverage is still running.
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.
Find your dates. Note when your coverage ends, your COBRA deadline and any other window you were given.
Talk with a licensed advisor. We explain private plans, and we tell you plainly when COBRA or the Marketplace may fit better.
Apply while your coverage is still active. Keep your old coverage until the new plan begins.
End the old coverage last. Cancel only after you confirm the new plan is in effect.
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.
You generally have sixty days from the date of your COBRA notice or the date your coverage ends, whichever is later. Check your notice for your exact deadline, and for the payment dates that follow.
It depends on you. COBRA keeps the plan and doctors you know. A private plan may be worth comparing. We can walk through both with you.
Losing job-based coverage generally opens a Marketplace special enrollment period either way, and COBRA is a separate right. Check HealthCare.gov and your COBRA notice for the details that apply to you.
Yes. You can compare options while your coverage is still running, and talking with an advisor costs nothing. Keep paying COBRA until the new plan is active.
Some windows are short, so waiting can close options. Care you receive before a new plan begins is generally not paid by that plan. Look at your dates first.
No. You can ask your questions and compare options without paying anything, in English or Spanish.
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.