CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — If you have lost your job in the past few weeks because of the pandemic, you have to make decisions soon to replace you and your family's health insurance. For many there is a low or no-cost alternative.
"Having a baby, losing the coverage through a divorce, getting married and wanting to add your spouse to your plan, but the most common right now, SEP that we're seeing is loss of coverage," William Heavin with Leavitt Insurance said.
Heavin is an insurance broker and he says many people are facing sticker shock when they find out what they have to pay to keep the insurance they had from their former employer.
"We're finding that most employer's coverages range up to $2,000 a month for family coverage," Heavin said. "Frankly, when people lose their job, even if they get approved for unemployment, most cases they simply cannot afford to pay $2,000 a month to continue their health insurance."
Heavin says you only have 60 days from the time your coverage ends to continue or find other health insurance for you and your family. The good news is that there is a low or no-cost alternative that could carry you through to the end of the year or until you get your job back.
"They've lost their job, perhaps their spouse has lost their job, so what that would mean then is that they would contact us, we would help them calculate the remaining income for 2020 and then the premium on your affordable care act plan now is based on their income for the remainder of the year.," Heavin said.
Heavin also said it's critical that if you lost your job in April, there are only 60 days left to enroll in the affordable care act marketplace plans. His agency's services are free since they are paid by insurance companies.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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