How long do I have to get cover after losing job-based insurance?

Losing job-based coverage is a qualifying life event. You have sixty days from the loss to enrol in a Marketplace plan, and you can act up to sixty days beforehand if you know the date. COBRA is usually offered alongside; it is worth pricing against a subsidised Marketplace plan rather than accepting by default.

For anyone 65 or older who delayed Medicare because of an employer plan, the Part B special enrolment period runs eight months from the end of employment or the end of the coverage, whichever comes first. Taking COBRA does not extend it — that single misunderstanding causes more permanent penalties than any other.

An estimate for planning, not a quote. Medicare and the Marketplace set your real figures.