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.
Washington does not use HealthCare.gov. It runs its own marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, and layers on two things most states don't — standardized Cascade Care plans that make coverage levels easier to compare, and state premium assistance for residents up to 250% of the poverty line. About 270,000 people are effectuated in it, and roughly 64% get a federal premium tax credit.
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.
Washington runs its own exchange, Washington Healthplanfinder, 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 Washington Healthplanfinder calendar rather than assuming the federal dates apply to you. Washington runs its own exchange, Washington Healthplanfinder, on its own platform — not HealthCare.gov — and offers standardized Cascade Care plans plus state premium assistance up to 250% of the poverty line.
One thing to check before you pay a COBRA invoice in Washington: 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. Washington expanded Medicaid (Apple Health), so marketplace subsidies generally begin above the roughly 138% of poverty Medicaid floor.
The carriers writing individual business in Washington include Premera Blue Cross, Regence BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente Washington, LifeWise Health Plan of Washington, Molina 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 Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma — and every county in between.
Don't see yours? Call a licensed agent — most answers take under two minutes.
Yes. We help Washington residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
No. Washington runs its own marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder. We're licensed in Washington and enroll you there directly, at no extra cost, and can also show you private off-exchange options it doesn't list.
Through Washington Healthplanfinder, the exchange Washington runs itself — not HealthCare.gov. A licensed agent can enroll you in the same plans at the same price. Because Washington sets its own calendar, check the Open Enrollment dates against Washington Healthplanfinder rather than assuming the federal ones apply to you.
The carriers writing individual business in Washington include Premera Blue Cross, Regence BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente Washington, LifeWise Health Plan of Washington, Molina Healthcare and others. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Seattle are not the lineup in Tacoma. 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.