COBRA Alternatives in Delaware (2026)

Your options after leaving a job in Delaware

When you leave a job in Delaware, your options depend on your employer's size. If the company had 20 or more workers, federal COBRA usually lets you keep the same plan for up to 18 months. If it had fewer than 20, Delaware's mini-COBRA law gives you up to 9 months of continued coverage on an insured group plan.

Either way, you pay the whole premium yourself, up to 102% of the group rate under the state law. That is often far more than you paid as an employee, so it is worth comparing before you sign up.

Losing job-based coverage also opens a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov, so you do not have to wait for open enrollment to buy a Marketplace plan. Your subsidy is based on your expected income for the year, which may be lower after a layoff.

If your income has dropped sharply, check Delaware Medicaid. Adults with household income up to 138% of the poverty level can qualify, and you can apply at any time of year.

How federal COBRA works

Federal COBRA lets you keep your former employer’s group plan if the employer had 20 or more employees. Coverage usually lasts up to 18 months, and you can be charged the full premium plus a 2% administrative fee, because your employer stops paying its share.

You generally have 60 days from your election notice to choose COBRA. Coverage is retroactive, so some people wait and only elect it if they need care during that window. Talk to an agent before relying on that, because missing the deadline ends the option.

Delaware Mini-COBRA (18 Del. C. § 3571F)

If your employer is too small for federal COBRA, Delaware law lets you keep the same group coverage for up to 9 months after a job loss, cut in hours, divorce or similar event. You pay the full cost, capped at 102% of the group rate, and you generally have 30 days after the employer's notice to elect it. Federal COBRA (employers with 20 or more workers) usually lasts 18 months, so the state version is shorter.

• Who it covers: Employees and dependents on insured group health policies of employers that normally had 1 to 19 workers during the prior year. You must have been covered under the group plan for the full 3 months before coverage ended.
• How long: 9 months

Marketplace plans and your special enrollment period

Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, so you don’t have to wait for open enrollment. In Delaware, HealthCare.gov is the federal government’s official marketplace for Delaware. We’re an independent, licensed insurance agency, not part of HealthCare.gov or any government agency, and we can help you compare Marketplace plans and enroll. Delaware is not a state-based exchange: residents apply and enroll through HealthCare.gov, while the state reviews plans and rates (a partnership arrangement). To have coverage start January 1, 2027, pick a plan and pay the first premium by December 15, 2026.

Marketplace premiums are based on your expected income for the year, not last year’s. If you’re between jobs, a lower income estimate can mean a much larger premium tax credit. The extra premium tax credits that started in 2021 expired at the end of 2025 and Congress did not extend them, so the original ACA rules apply for 2026 and 2027. That means the subsidy cliff is back: if your household income is above 400% of the federal poverty level, you generally get no premium help, which hits older Delawareans hardest.

If your income dropped

Delaware expanded Medicaid starting January 1, 2014. Adults under 65, including those without children, can qualify with household income up to 138% of the federal poverty level. You can apply any time of year through Delaware ASSIST or HealthCare.gov.

What coverage costs