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.
Virginia recently moved off HealthCare.gov and now runs its own exchange, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, operated by the State Corporation Commission — so residents enroll through the state. Virginia expanded Medicaid in 2019, which routes lower-income adults to no-cost coverage and starts marketplace subsidies just above that line; a recent open season drew more than 388,000 enrollees.
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.
Virginia runs its own exchange, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, 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 Virginia's Insurance Marketplace calendar rather than assuming the federal dates apply to you. Virginia launched its own state exchange, so residents now enroll at Virginia's Insurance Marketplace rather than HealthCare.gov.
One thing to check before you pay a COBRA invoice in Virginia: 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. Virginia expanded Medicaid in 2019 to adults up to 138% of the poverty line, so lower-income residents may qualify for no-cost coverage while marketplace premium tax credits apply above that threshold.
The carriers writing individual business in Virginia include CareFirst BlueChoice, Anthem HealthKeepers, Sentara Health Plans, Kaiser Permanente, Cigna Healthcare 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 Northern Virginia, Richmond and Virginia Beach — and every county in between.
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Yes. We help Virginia residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
No longer. Virginia now runs its own exchange, Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, and residents enroll there. A licensed Virginia agent can enroll you in the same plans at no extra cost.
Through Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, the exchange Virginia runs itself — not HealthCare.gov. A licensed agent can enroll you in the same plans at the same price. Because Virginia sets its own calendar, check the Open Enrollment dates against Virginia's Insurance Marketplace rather than assuming the federal ones apply to you.
The carriers writing individual business in Virginia include CareFirst BlueChoice, Anthem HealthKeepers, Sentara Health Plans, Kaiser Permanente, Cigna Healthcare and others. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Northern Virginia are not the lineup in Virginia Beach. 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.