Just got a COBRA letter? Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period — and because COBRA carries no employer contribution and no premium tax credit, the alternative is often much cheaper.
Not a government marketplace. Health Enrollment Center is operated by Sprinter Insurance Agency LLC.
Pennsylvania runs its own marketplace, Pennie, which took over from HealthCare.gov and has used state-level measures like reinsurance to help keep premiums in check. Roughly half a million Pennsylvanians enroll through Pennie, and about 90% receive financial help toward their premium.
COBRA lets you keep your former employer's exact plan — but now you pay the whole premium plus a 2% admin fee, with no employer contribution. For most households that's $650–$1,200+ a month. The letter makes it sound like your only option. It isn't.
Losing employer coverage is a qualifying life event. It opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period on the ACA marketplace, where your income may qualify you for a premium tax credit that COBRA can never offer. Many people who were paying $900 for COBRA move to a comparable Silver plan for $300–$450 — often keeping the same primary-care doctor in-network.
The timing move that saves people money: you have 60 days from the date your coverage ends to enroll in a marketplace plan. Unlike COBRA, marketplace coverage is not retroactive — it starts on a future date, so a gap is possible if you wait. Before you pay that first COBRA invoice, it's worth a 10-minute call to compare. If an ACA plan beats COBRA, we help you enroll; if COBRA is genuinely better for your situation, we'll tell you that too.
Pennsylvania runs its own exchange, Pennie, rather than using HealthCare.gov. That matters more than it sounds: state-based exchanges set their own Open Enrollment dates, can recognize special enrollment situations the federal marketplace does not, and sometimes administer state-only programs that have no federal equivalent. Check the Pennie calendar rather than assuming the federal dates apply to you. Pennsylvania runs its own state-based marketplace, Pennie, which replaced HealthCare.gov for Pennsylvanians and often lowers premiums through state cost-saving measures.
One thing to check before you pay a COBRA invoice in Pennsylvania: if losing the job dropped your household income, the marketplace subsidy you now qualify for is usually far cheaper than COBRA — and if the drop was steep, the children may qualify for CHIP, which runs year-round rather than on the 60-day clock. For most above-poverty households, though, the win is simply a subsidized marketplace plan COBRA can never match on price. Pennsylvania expanded Medicaid in 2015, so lower-income adults may qualify for no-cost coverage. Above that threshold, Pennie enrollees receive federal premium tax credits — and Pennsylvania has used state reinsurance to help hold premiums down.
The carriers writing individual business in Pennsylvania include Highmark Blue Shield, Independence Blue Cross, UPMC Health Plan, Geisinger Health Plan, Capital Blue Cross and others. Networks and pricing are set county by county rather than statewide, so the same carrier can be the best value in one metro and the wrong choice an hour away. We quote Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Harrisburg — and every county in between.
Don't see yours? Call a licensed agent — most answers take under two minutes.
Yes. We help Pennsylvania residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
Pennie is Pennsylvania's state-based health insurance marketplace, which replaced HealthCare.gov for Pennsylvanians. You enroll in the same kind of ACA plans with federal premium tax credits, and Pennsylvania has used state measures to help lower premiums. A licensed agent can enroll you through Pennie at no extra cost.
Through Pennie, the exchange Pennsylvania runs itself — not HealthCare.gov. A licensed agent can enroll you in the same plans at the same price. Because Pennsylvania sets its own calendar, check the Open Enrollment dates against Pennie rather than assuming the federal ones apply to you.
The carriers writing individual business in Pennsylvania include Highmark Blue Shield, Independence Blue Cross, UPMC Health Plan, Geisinger Health Plan, Capital Blue Cross and others. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Philadelphia are not the lineup in Harrisburg. We are independent and compare across all of them rather than steering you to one company.
Start with your ZIP. Two quick questions, then a licensed agent brings you the plans you actually qualify for — no cost, no obligation.