By Christian Regalado
I hear a version of the same story every year from some of my clients. A spouse retires, enrolls in Medicare, and the other spouse loses coverage they’d relied on for years. They look at the ACA Marketplace, see the sticker price, and decide to go without insurance rather than pay it. Then open enrollment closes, and they feel stuck. If that’s you, take a breath. You have more options than you probably realize, and a few things have changed for the better this year.
The first thing worth knowing is that you may still have a path back to an ACA plan. Losing coverage because your spouse aged into Medicare counts as a qualifying life event, opening a sixty-day Special Enrollment Period to sign up for a Marketplace plan outside the regular fall window. If that window has closed, the next option is the standard Open Enrollment Period, which runs November 1 through January 15 in most states, Florida included. Before you assume you’ve missed your chance, it’s worth having me check your specific timeline.
The bigger piece of news is that short-term health insurance has become more useful again. For the past couple of years, federal rules limited these plans to four months total, a poor fit for anyone facing a longer gap. In August of 2025, federal regulators stopped enforcing those limits while they reconsider the rule, and insurers in many states, Florida included, can once again offer plans with longer terms, some stretching up to twelve months with the ability to renew for up to three years depending on the carrier. Unlike ACA plans, short-term medical can be purchased any time of year, so there’s no enrollment window to miss in the first place.
I want to be upfront about what these plans are and what they are not. Short-term medical is available to people ages 18 to 64, so it fits squarely in that window between losing employer coverage and reaching Medicare eligibility yourself. Short-term plans are medically underwritten, meaning your health history factors into whether you qualify and what you pay, and they don’t have to follow ACA rules, which is part of why they cost less. There’s no guarantee of coverage for pre-existing conditions, benefits like maternity care aren’t required, and insurers can cap what they’ll pay out over a year or a lifetime. One real advantage is how quickly coverage can begin, often within 24 hours after an injury or 7 days after the onset of an illness, which matters if you’re closing a gap in a hurry. Many short-term medical plans are also offered as affordable PPO options, giving you more flexibility in which doctors and providers you can see. Still, I don’t recommend them as a permanent replacement for comprehensive coverage, since comprehensive plans are guaranteed to renew regardless of your health, cover pre-existing conditions, and include essential benefits short-term plans aren’t required to offer.
There’s one other bridge option worth mentioning. Fixed indemnity plans pay a set cash benefit for a covered service or hospital day, rather than a percentage of your actual costs, and pair well with Short Term Medical for stronger coverage.
I don’t see myself as just an insurance broker. I see myself as an educator first, and my job is to make sure you understand your options and to help guide you toward a plan tailored to your needs.
My advice to anyone without health insurance is simple. Don’t assume the door is closed just because open enrollment has passed. Give me a call, let’s get your real numbers and compare a short-term bridge plan against what a subsidized Marketplace plan might actually cost. The math often looks different once someone runs it properly. I’d be happy to be that person for you.
Call me, Christian Regalado, at (850) 687-7606, or email christian@30ahealthins.com. You can find more on our website at www.30AHealthins.com.
