Prescription savings guide

Losing Health Insurance in California (2026 Guide)

Last updated September 11, 2026 · Reviewed by the LowerScript editorial team · Español

If you've lost job-based health insurance in California, you generally have 60 days to enroll in a plan through California's own exchange, Covered California, under a special enrollment period — or you can elect COBRA to continue your old employer plan (usually at full premium cost). California has also adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion, so check your Medi-Cal eligibility too. In the meantime, a free discount card keeps prescription costs down no matter what coverage you end up with.

What's changing in California coverage

A May 2026 UC Berkeley Labor Center analysis projects the number of uninsured Californians under 65 could nearly double — from about 2.4 million to 4.6 million by 2030 — as expired federal premium tax credits, new Medicaid work requirements starting in 2027, and stricter federal rules on California's Medicaid waiver take effect. Covered California has proposed a 9.9% average premium increase for 2027 and expanded state subsidy funding to reach more people at lower incomes. None of this changes your options today — see below — but if your coverage or premium is changing, it's worth comparing plans rather than letting a renewal go through automatically.

Separately, a new Medi-Cal work requirement takes effect January 1, 2027: adults in the ACA expansion group will need to verify 80 hours a month of work, school, or similar activity to keep coverage, with early state estimates suggesting roughly 1.1 million Californians could be at risk of losing coverage if they don’t complete the paperwork, per the California Department of Health Care Services. There is also movement among carriers for 2027: Molina Healthcare has filed to exit two Covered California rating regions, while CalOptima Health is entering the Covered California market in Orange County — so some current enrollees may need to pick a new plan during open enrollment even if they want to keep similar coverage.

Your options, in order

1. 1

   COBRA

   Continues your exact former employer plan, but you pay the full premium — compare this cost against a Covered California plan before deciding.

2. 2

   Covered California special enrollment

   Losing job-based coverage triggers a special enrollment period, generally 60 days, to sign up for a plan through Covered California — the state's own exchange, which California has run since the ACA marketplaces first opened and has never replaced with HealthCare.gov. 1,927,371 Californians enrolled in a 2026 plan during open enrollment, per healthinsurance.org's summary of Covered California's release data, and about eight in ten enrollees qualified for a premium tax credit, per the same source.

3. 3

   Medi-Cal

   California adopted the ACA Medicaid expansion effective January 1, 2014 (KFF). If your income is low enough, you may qualify — non-elderly adults qualify up to 138% of the federal poverty level (healthinsurance.org, Medicaid eligibility and enrollment in California). See prescription help for the uninsured in California for eligibility detail.

Keep filling prescriptions in the meantime

Whichever option you choose, gaps happen. A free LowerScript card works with no insurance at all, so you can keep filling your regular medications while you sort out longer-term coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: healthinsurance.org, California Health Insurance Marketplace; KFF, The California Health Care Landscape; healthinsurance.org, Medicaid eligibility and enrollment in California. This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at coveredca.com. LowerScript is a discount program, not insurance.

More guides: Prescription Help for the Uninsured in California · California Prescription Assistance Programs · Insurance vs Cash Price: Which Is Cheaper?  |  All savings guides · Drug prices