The short answer
Maybe not for long. Coverage through his job can end, and the ways to keep or replace it have time limits. Find out this week exactly when yours ends and what your options are.
If you are 65 or over, know this before you choose anything. COBRA does not protect you from Medicare's late penalties, and a late Part B penalty usually lasts as long as you have Part B.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Ask his employer's benefits office, or the plan, the exact date your coverage ends.
- Ask for your continuation options in writing, including the COBRA election notice.
- Put every deadline on your calendar: the COBRA window, the Marketplace window and, at 65 or over, your Medicare window.
- Get the right help before you choose. If you are under 65, look at the Marketplace on HealthCare.gov. If you are 65 or over, talk to a SHIP counselor before choosing COBRA, because COBRA doesn't protect you from Medicare's late penalties.
- Ask what each option costs each month, in writing.
- Ask each plan what it covers for prescriptions, dental and vision.
- Choose before the deadline.
What can wait
Who can help
His employer's benefits office, or the plan, answers for your coverage and the COBRA notice. HealthCare.gov answers for Marketplace plans, and your state's Medicaid office for Medicaid.
A SHIP counselor, found at shiphelp.org, gives free Medicare counseling. Medicare is at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, any hour except some federal holidays.
A helper, or a librarian at your public library, can do the online searches with you.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 2: The Money
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 9. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 1 to 6.
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