Health insurance after layoff
The health-coverage decision after a layoff changed on January 1, 2026, when the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits expired and the 400%-of-poverty subsidy cliff returned. Severance counts toward that cliff, so the COBRA-vs-marketplace call now turns on how much you were paid and in which calendar year, and last year's advice often gets it wrong.
The two decisions to get right: COBRA vs ACA with the 2026 math (with worked numbers and the four coverage doors), and the 60-day COBRA election window, which has a free-look built into it that most people miss. Both sit inside the broader first-90-days plan.
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The COBRA Election Deadline: How the 60-Day Window Actually Works
The COBRA clock doesn't start when you think it does, coverage is retroactive if you elect late in the window, and the first payment isn't due for another 45 days. The mechanics of the 60-day election window, step by step.
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COBRA vs ACA After a Layoff: The 2026 Math Just Changed
The enhanced ACA subsidies expired January 1, 2026, and the 400% poverty-level cliff is back: severance counts toward it. The COBRA-vs-marketplace decision that was easy in 2025 now flips depending on your package. Here's the worked math.