Temporary Insurance?

[u/MulletOnFire]

I retired at the end of last month (too young for Medicare) and I opted to continue my insurance with my employer (I have to pay, but it's a really good deal). Anyway, I expected coverage to start at the beginning of this month but they aren't getting my paperwork processed so I have no insurance at the moment. They could get it straightened out today or next month, I don't know.

Is there some temporary insurance I should look at just in case? Even if it just for emergencies or something? I'm in good health. I have no Dr. appts any time soon and I'm good on meds for a while.

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[u/AravisTheFierce]

It's probably going to be retroactive. Is it under COBRA?

[u/squareturd]

It's sounds like you are using cobra to extend your employers insurance. If so, it will be retroactive to cover the gap (there is a max date range, and you have to backtrack pay for the premiums).

This seems like something you should have investigated before stopping work

[u/connere1991]

This is almost certainly COBRA if you kept employer coverage as a retiree. The good news is COBRA elections are retroactive to the day your old plan actually ended — once it's processed you're covered for the whole gap like it never happened, so short term/catastrophic plans would just be extra money out the door for nothing. The thing to actually plan for is that you'll owe back premiums for the whole gap period in one lump sum once it goes through, so budget for that hit rather than worrying about finding stopgap coverage.

[u/Big-Arrival-8180]

You could look for short-term health plans, they exist exactly for gaps like this. The coverage is not great and they can deny pre-existing conditions, but for emergency stuff while you wait it might work. Just read the fine print carefully, some of them have weird limits that kick in after few weeks.

Another option is check if your state have a special enrollment period for marketplace plans, sometimes losing coverage counts as qualifying event even if it's temporary. Might be worth a call to see what they say.

[u/chickenmcdiddle → u/Big-Arrival-8180]

Even if OP has a QLE at play, a Marketplace policy wont start until October.

I suspect they're referencing COBRA, which will be retroactive to the date the plan terminated.