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.
Rhode Island runs its own marketplace, HealthSource RI — not HealthCare.gov — and kept 2026 enrollment open through the end of January. About 39,000 residents enroll through it. It's a small, concentrated market, so the choice is less about how many plans exist and more about which carrier reaches the hospitals you actually use.
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.
Rhode Island runs its own exchange, HealthSource RI, 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 HealthSource RI calendar rather than assuming the federal dates apply to you. Rhode Island runs its own exchange, HealthSource RI, on its own platform — not HealthCare.gov — with 2026 enrollment open through the end of January.
One thing to check before you pay a COBRA invoice in Rhode Island: 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. Rhode Island expanded Medicaid up to 138% of the poverty line, so marketplace premium tax credits generally begin just above that Medicaid floor.
The carriers writing individual business in Rhode Island include Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Tufts Health Plan. 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 Providence and Newport & South County — and every county in between.
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Yes. We help Rhode Island residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
No. Rhode Island runs its own marketplace, HealthSource RI. We're licensed in Rhode Island and enroll you there directly, at no extra cost, and can also show you private off-exchange options it doesn't list.
Through HealthSource RI, the exchange Rhode Island runs itself — not HealthCare.gov. A licensed agent can enroll you in the same plans at the same price. Because Rhode Island sets its own calendar, check the Open Enrollment dates against HealthSource RI rather than assuming the federal ones apply to you.
The carriers writing individual business in Rhode Island include Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, Tufts Health Plan. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Providence are not the lineup in Newport & South County. 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.