Need health coverage before Medicare?
If you’re in need of health coverage but not yet eligible for Medicare, an individual health insurance plan may be the right option. Download your free Individual Health Plans checklist or speak with a local advisor.
Gain clarity in 3 simple steps.
Taking on the health insurance landscape on your own can be overwhelming and often leads to choosing the wrong plan. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone—we’ll help you find a plan that’s right for you in three simple steps. We’re experts at providing personalized health coverage guidance, so you don’t have to spend countless hours researching plans or risk picking the wrong one.
Whether you’re considering early retirement or need to bridge a gap in coverage, we’ll guide you through your options to ensure your health care needs are covered now and set you up for a seamless progression to Medicare later.
Step 1: 5-Minute Phone Assessment
Gain clarity in 5 minutes! In this brief phone call, we’ll collect key pieces of information that will help us research your coverage options before Medicare and help answer any questions you may have. Call us today.
Step 2: Consultation with an Advisor
Depending on your situation, we will schedule you to speak one-on-one with a benefit advisor who can help you enroll in the right plan at the right time.
- Our team takes care of all the difficult tasks for you.
- We conduct research on your behalf to find coverage options that include your preferred doctors, prescriptions, and benefits that align with your needs and budget.
- Additionally, we provide assistance with the enrollment process from start to finish, and all of this is at no cost to you!
Step 3: Enjoy Lifelong Support
We provide top-tier client support that lasts a lifetime. We'll be there to answer any billing or benefit questions, review plans during Open Enrollment, and advocate on your behalf. We’ll be there—at no cost to you—ensuring you always have the clarity you want through the guidance you deserve to and through to Medicare.
Understand the Basics
Understand how individual health plans work, when to sign up, and your costs and coverage with our live or on-demand webinars or access your free Complete Guide.
In general, there are two main types of individual health insurance plans that apply to most individuals before Medicare.
Short-Term Plans
Short-term plans may be the right option for you if you need coverage for less than a year. These plans often help individuals bridge the gap until their Medicare eligibility. Short-term plans are intended to be used for unexpected and unanticipated medical needs, not for planned care. They do not cover preventative care services. Unlike Marketplace plans, short-term plans are medically underwritten, meaning you must qualify to be accepted, and do not cover pre-existing conditions. Coverage can generally start any day of the year, but short-term plans are not guaranteed renewable when they expire.
Marketplace Plans
Marketplace plans, commonly referred to as Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, provide private health coverage for individuals or families without employer-sponsored coverage. A Marketplace plan may be the right option if you need coverage for more than one year before your Medicare eligibility and/or if you have pre-existing conditions. All Marketplace plans are network-based, and most use health maintenance organization (HMO) networks. They cover pre-existing conditions, preventative care services, and have no lifetime coverage limits.
The monthly cost is individualized and is based on the estimated income of all household members. There is an income number called Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) that determines the amount of premium subsidy assistance from the government.
Open enrollment for Marketplace plans is Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 each year. You may also qualify for a special enrollment period in any of the following circumstances:
- Change in household size
- Change in residence or income
- Change in status (such as being denied Medicaid/CHIP, gaining lawful presence in the United States, or being released from incarceration)
- Loss of coverage within a 60-day window (not including a loss of coverage from a short-term plan or voluntary disenrollment from a COBRA plan before expiration)
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