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.
Vermont runs its own marketplace, Vermont Health Connect — not HealthCare.gov. About 30,000 residents enroll through it. It's one of the smallest and most concentrated markets in the country, with just two carriers, so the decision is less about breadth of choice and more about matching a plan to the systems you 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.
Vermont runs its own exchange, Vermont Health Connect, 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 Vermont Health Connect calendar rather than assuming the federal dates apply to you. Vermont runs its own exchange, Vermont Health Connect, on its own platform — not HealthCare.gov.
One thing to check before you pay a COBRA invoice in Vermont: 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. Vermont expanded Medicaid (with Dr. Dynasaur for children) up to 138% of the poverty line, which sets the income floor below which marketplace subsidies are unavailable.
The carriers writing individual business in Vermont include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, MVP Health Care. 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 Burlington and Montpelier-Barre — and every county in between.
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Yes. We help Vermont residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
No. Vermont runs its own marketplace, Vermont Health Connect. We're licensed in Vermont and enroll you there directly, at no extra cost, and can also show you private off-exchange options it doesn't list.
Through Vermont Health Connect, the exchange Vermont runs itself — not HealthCare.gov. A licensed agent can enroll you in the same plans at the same price. Because Vermont sets its own calendar, check the Open Enrollment dates against Vermont Health Connect rather than assuming the federal ones apply to you.
The carriers writing individual business in Vermont include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, MVP Health Care. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Burlington are not the lineup in Montpelier-Barre. 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.