Insurance Info after a Layoff

Layoff vs Furlough?

Furlough is an order for an employee to not come to work for an extended period of time. It is a temporary layoff.

  • Employees being furloughed do not receive payment but they DO maintain employment benefits such as health insurance. 

  • Individuals furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic DO qualify for unemployment benefits.

Being laid off means that the employer could no longer afford to keep on the employee. This is through no fault of the employee.

  • Laid off employees are eligible for unemployment benefits. However, the individual will NO LONGER have employment benefits such as health insurance.

 

How to remain on health insurance after a layoff

Cobra

 Cobra allows a laid off individual to maintain the same insurance through their last employer for up to 18 months. However, they must pay the full premium. This can be unrealistically high.

Affordable Care Act

Being laid off qualifies you for the ‘special enrollment period.’ If you or anyone in your household lost qualifying health coverage in the past 60 days OR expects to lose coverage in the next 60 days, you can visit healthcare.gov to sign up for a Marketplace insurance plan.


Visit https://www.healthcare.gov/screener/ to see if you qualify.

 

Disclaimer: Please note that these resources are suggestions, not recommendations. We vetted the agencies, organizations and companies and not the clinicians they have added to their sites. We are not a judge of the quality of care and of treatment.