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.
Wisconsin uses the federal marketplace at HealthCare.gov and takes an unusual middle path on Medicaid: it didn't adopt ACA expansion, but its BadgerCare Plus program covers adults up to 100% of the poverty line. The result is that Wisconsin, unlike other non-expansion states, has no coverage gap — residents below 100% FPL get BadgerCare, and marketplace subsidies begin right at that line.
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.
Wisconsin does not run its own exchange — marketplace plans here are sold through the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov. In practice that means the enrollment windows, the eligibility rules and the appeals process are the federal ones, and the plan you buy through a licensed agent is the identical plan at the identical price you would find on HealthCare.gov yourself. Wisconsin uses the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, for individual ACA enrollment.
Worth knowing before you pay a COBRA invoice in Wisconsin: the state has not expanded Medicaid, so a post-job-loss income drop rarely makes an adult Medicaid-eligible — which means your real alternative to COBRA is a subsidized marketplace plan, and subsidies here start at 100% of the federal poverty level. Children often still qualify for CHIP year-round, but for the adults the marketplace is the lever, and it usually beats COBRA on price. Wisconsin did not adopt ACA Medicaid expansion, but its BadgerCare Plus program covers adults up to 100% of the poverty line — so unlike other non-expansion states it has no coverage gap, and marketplace subsidies begin right at 100% FPL.
The carriers writing individual business in Wisconsin include Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Aspirus Health Plan, CareSource (Common Ground), Dean Health Plan, Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin 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 Milwaukee and Madison — and every county in between.
Don't see yours? Call a licensed agent — most answers take under two minutes.
Yes. We help Wisconsin residents compare COBRA alternatives options against the alternatives so you can see the real trade-offs before you enroll.
Through HealthCare.gov, the federal marketplace — Wisconsin does not run its own exchange. You can enroll in those same plans through a licensed agent at no extra cost, which also lets you see private off-marketplace plans that HealthCare.gov does not list.
The carriers writing individual business in Wisconsin include Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Aspirus Health Plan, CareSource (Common Ground), Dean Health Plan, Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin and others. Which of them is actually competitive depends on your county rather than the state — the lineup and the networks in Milwaukee are not the lineup in Madison. 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.