COBRA Insurance in Florida: Cost, Rules and Alternatives

Medically reviewed by Jawad Arshad, MD, FACEP. Last reviewed: September 29, 2026.

Disclosure: This guide also mentions membership-based coverage. Membership-based coverage is not insurance, is not regulated as insurance, and does not count as ACA minimum essential coverage.

COBRA insurance in Florida is the same federal COBRA that applies everywhere, plus a separate Florida law for small employers. Both keep your old plan alive, but you pay the whole bill, which is why most Floridians should price a HealthCare.gov plan before they say yes.

Florida also has a wrinkle most guides skip. If you worked for a company with fewer than 20 employees, federal COBRA does not apply to you. Florida's own continuation law does, and it has different deadlines and a higher price cap.

Key facts (2026):

• 4,538,772 Floridians selected a Marketplace plan for 2026, and more than 95% received premium subsidies (CMS data via healthinsurance.org, 2026).
• The average subsidized Florida enrollee paid about $106 a month after an average subsidy of $740 a month (healthinsurance.org, 2026).
• Federal COBRA lasts up to 18 months, with 60 days to elect, per the U.S. Department of Labor (2026).
• Florida state continuation applies to employers with fewer than 20 employees, lasts up to 18 months and caps the premium at 115%, under Florida Statutes Section 627.6692 (2024).
• Insurers proposed 2027 changes from 3.87% (Centene) to 39.14% (AmeriHealth Caritas) in Florida, and Cigna is leaving (KFF via Florida Phoenix, September 2026; healthinsurance.org, 2026).

How Does COBRA Work in Florida?

COBRA works in Florida by letting you keep the exact health plan you had at work after a job loss, cut hours or other qualifying event. You have 60 days to elect it, you keep the same doctors, and you pay the full premium yourself.

The U.S. Department of Labor says federal COBRA applies to group health plans at employers with 20 or more employees. You usually pay the full premium, and the plan can charge up to 102% of its cost. Your old employer stops paying its share the day you leave.

Here is the order of events in Florida:

1. Your job coverage ends. For most people that is the last day of the month you leave.
2. You get an election notice. The DOL gives you 60 days to elect, counted from the later of the coverage end date or the notice date.
3. You pay the first premium. Coverage is continuous once you elect and pay.
4. You compare it to the Marketplace. A HealthCare.gov plan has its own 60-day window, and the two windows run at the same time.

Florida runs on the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, not a state exchange, per healthinsurance.org. That means you shop at HealthCare.gov or through a licensed agent, and the tax credit is calculated there.

For the national rules, see Summit Health Benefits' COBRA health insurance guide and its overview of COBRA alternatives.

How Much Is COBRA Insurance in Florida?

COBRA insurance in Florida costs up to 102% of the full group premium, which is about $793 a month for single coverage and $2,294 a month for family coverage at 2025 national averages from KFF. Your exact price is on your election notice.

KFF's 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey put the average annual premium at $9,325 for single coverage and $26,993 for family coverage. While employed, workers paid only $1,440 and $6,850 of those amounts on average. COBRA hands you the rest.

The last two columns use the national average premium as a stand-in. Your plan's actual price may be higher or lower. The point is the jump: most people go from paying about $120 a month to more than $790.

Worked example: a laid-off worker in Miami-Dade

Take a hypothetical single worker in Miami-Dade County who earned $55,000 and lost a job in October. Her COBRA notice shows $792.63 a month. She expects $40,000 of income in 2027 from part-time work.

The $106 is a statewide average, not her quote. Florida rates are also rising for 2027, so her actual number will differ. The tax credit rises with the benchmark plan, which cushions most of that increase for people under 400% of the poverty level.

How Long Is COBRA Coverage in Florida?

COBRA coverage in Florida lasts up to 18 months after a job loss or reduction in hours, per the Department of Labor. Certain life events, such as a divorce or the death of the covered worker, can extend it to 36 months for dependents.

Florida's state continuation law also lasts up to 18 months. Section 627.6692(5)(b) of the Florida Statutes sets the period from the date benefits would otherwise have stopped. A person who is disabled can get 11 more months, for 29 in total, if Social Security disability paperwork is filed within 60 days.

Length is rarely the issue. Cost is. Few people stay on COBRA for 18 months at $793 a month, so most use it as a bridge.

What Is Florida Mini-COBRA?

Florida mini-COBRA is the state continuation coverage that lets workers at small employers keep an insured group plan. It applies to employers with fewer than 20 employees, under Florida Statutes Section 627.6692, and it does not apply where federal COBRA is available.

The Florida law has rules worth knowing:

• A short election window. You must elect in writing to the insurance carrier within 30 days after receiving notice, per Section 627.6692(5)(e).
• A higher price cap. The premium may not exceed 115% of the applicable premium, per Section 627.6692(5)(f).
• Carrier notice. The carrier sends an election and premium notice by certified mail within 14 days after receiving written notice of the event, per Section 627.6692(5)(d).
• Gross misconduct is excluded. A worker terminated for gross misconduct does not qualify, per Section 627.6692(4)(f).
• Insured plans only. The law applies to carriers issuing the employer's group policy, so a self-funded plan follows federal ERISA rules instead.

Thirty days is half the time federal COBRA gives you. If you worked for a small Florida employer, write down the notice date the day it arrives.

Should I Take COBRA or a HealthCare.gov Plan in Florida?

Most Floridians should price a HealthCare.gov plan first, because COBRA gets no tax credit and the average subsidized Florida enrollee paid about $106 a month for 2026. Keep COBRA only when your doctors, deductible or timing make the extra cost worth it.

The premium tax credit is a federal credit that lowers the monthly cost of a marketplace plan. Since the enhanced credits expired after 2025, it is available for household income from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level. For a single person, 400% of the 2026 guideline is $63,840.

Timing decides everything:

1. You have 60 days after job-based coverage ends to pick a HealthCare.gov plan, and you can apply up to 60 days before it ends, per HealthCare.gov.
2. Dropping COBRA on purpose does not open a special enrollment period. HealthCare.gov says voluntarily dropping COBRA does not count.
3. Open enrollment for 2027 is expected to run November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027, with December 15 the last day to pick a plan starting January 1, per healthinsurance.org.

Keep COBRA in a few cases: you are mid-treatment with specialists outside Marketplace networks, you already met most of this year's deductible, you earn well above 400% of the poverty level, or you need only a month or two before a new job's plan starts. COBRA is retroactive once you elect and pay within the window, which some people use as a safety net.

What Florida Marketplace Changes Matter for 2027?

Three Florida changes matter for 2027: Cigna and Sunshine State Health Plan are leaving, filed rate changes run from 3.87% to 39.14%, and Aetna already left at the end of 2025. Your county's plan list may look different than last year.

These rates were filed in the spring and were not final in September 2026, per KFF as reported by the Florida Phoenix, and the insurer list comes from healthinsurance.org. Florida had 16 carriers for 2026, and the count is falling for 2027.

Summit Health Benefits tracks the national picture in its 2027 premium increase by state report. The Aetna Florida individual market exit post covers what happened to Aetna members, and the Georgia and Texas COBRA guides show how the rules differ next door.

Does Florida Medicaid or KidCare Replace COBRA?

Florida Medicaid replaces COBRA for very few adults, because Florida has not expanded Medicaid. Parents qualify only at about 26% of the poverty level, and childless adults do not qualify at any income, per healthinsurance.org.

Children have better options. Florida KidCare covers children under 19 in households from 138% to 200% of the poverty level, with modest monthly premiums, per healthinsurance.org. An estimated 388,000 Floridians fall in the coverage gap, above Medicaid limits but below the Marketplace tax credit range. If a laid-off parent qualifies for nothing, check the kids first.

Is Membership-Based Coverage a COBRA Alternative in Florida?

Membership-based coverage is a COBRA alternative some healthy Floridians choose, but membership-based coverage is not insurance and does not count as ACA minimum essential coverage. It gets no tax credit and may limit pre-existing conditions.

It tends to fit people who earn just above 400% of the poverty level and rarely see a doctor. The Health Membership for Individuals and Families on Summit Health Benefits' individuals and families page lists a $2,500 out-of-pocket cap per need, virtual urgent and primary care, and generic medications covered. Membership is not insurance.

Free copy-paste email to your former HR team

Subject: Health coverage end date and COBRA details

>

Hi, I am comparing my health coverage options after leaving. Please confirm: (1) the date my health coverage ends, (2) my monthly COBRA or Florida continuation premium for my coverage tier, (3) my election deadline and the date the notice was mailed, (4) whether our health plan is fully insured or self-funded, and (5) whether federal COBRA or Florida state continuation applies to me. Thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

U.S. Department of Labor, COBRA continuation coverage guidance (2026); Florida Statutes Section 627.6692, Florida Health Insurance Coverage Continuation Act (2024, The Florida Senate); healthinsurance.org, Florida Health Insurance Marketplace guide (2026), compiling CMS 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Public Use Files and 2027 rate filings; healthinsurance.org, Florida Medicaid guide (2026); KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, and KFF proposed 2027 rate analysis as reported by the Florida Phoenix (September 10, 2026); HealthCare.gov, Special Enrollment Period after job loss (2026); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2026 Poverty Guidelines.