855-244-3694 Changing employment is not unusual. It can affect your health insurance if you’ve lost your job or changed positions. 

Here are the answers to some common questions you may have should you find yourself without health coverage during a career transition. 

What are my options for health insurance? 

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides for Special Enrollment Periods* (SEP). This allows people who have had certain life events to enroll in health care insurance coverage. One of those qualifying events is losing a job or changing employment. During this time, you have a limited window to purchase a health plan from the health care marketplace*. You have 60 days to purchase a plan. 
• You may qualify for COBRA*. This law allows people to choose to continue group coverage for qualifying events — such as loss of a job — for a limited amount of time. It is a continuation of your employer-sponsored health benefits. Your employer will no longer make premium contributions. This means the employee is responsible for the full premium amount. COBRA can continue for 18 or 36 months, based on your qualifications.
• Another option is short-term health coverage. These plans can help fill gaps in your coverage during times of transition. These plans offer temporary health insurance to help pay unexpected health care costs while you’re not covered by a traditional health plan.  
• Workers from smaller companies may be eligible for state Continuation of Care coverage*. This option is similar to COBRA and applies to group health insurance policies with fewer than 20 employees. 
• A loss of income may mean you are eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid is a government program that provides coverage for families with lower incomes and qualified individuals in certain groups, such as pregnant women, infants, elderly adults and people with disabilities. Healthy Blue Medicaid has plans for South Carolinians. 

There are a lot of options. Even if you have no income, there may be health care insurance options for you. It is important to have health insurance because it protects you from unexpected high medical costs. 

Where do I get started? 

You can start by calling BlueCross Blue Shield of South Carolina’s toll-free phone number to speak with a licensed health insurance counselor. The agents at this number will help South Carolinians through the process to finding the best option for their circumstances. 

There are agents available Monday – Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. These agents can answer questions about COBRA or questions about enrolling someone in individual, short-term health or Medicare plans. They can be reached by calling 855-244-3694.  

You can also visit one of our South Carolina BLUE Retail Centers to speak with someone in person. Or you can find information online. 

How can BlueCross help me? 

Health insurance can be complicated. There are a lot of terms and rules that make it hard to understand what you need and what is best for you. 

The counselors at the toll-free number understand the ins and outs of health insurance and can help those who don’t. They may start with a needs assessment, for example, to help you figure out what kind of coverage is right for your family and your financial situation. 

They will also help make sense of the coverage and give guidance on what you need to do to get your family covered. 

What do I need to know? 

One thing to keep in mind is that there is a deadline for ACA plans. You have 60 days from loss of coverage to enroll in a new plan. 

There will be documentation to prove that you qualify to enroll in the plan. You won’t have to worry about that until after you are enrolled, though. You can enroll in a new plan immediately. 

The most important thing to know is that you have choices. BlueCross can help you through the process to choose the best type of coverage for you. We are here for you.

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