Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Rhode Island program

A new health plan after coverage ends (HealthSource RI)

Rhode Island’s insurance marketplace lets you buy a health plan, with income-based help toward the premium.

What it is

Rhode Island’s insurance marketplace lets you buy a health plan, with income-based help toward the premium.

When work insurance or Medicaid ends, a marketplace plan can keep the family covered. HealthSource RI compares plans and checks financial help. The premium is only one part of the cost during cancer treatment.

Eligibility rules
  • Rhode Island residence and marketplace eligibility rules apply. Premium help ends above 400% of poverty under the 2026 framework.
  • A qualifying loss of work coverage generally opens a special enrollment window 60 days before and 60 days after the loss. Medicaid losses have additional rules; HealthSource RI can confirm the exact last day for your event.
  • A conditional 30-day extension may apply after a Medicaid renewal problem. It is not an automatic 90-day window.
  • For 2026, premium tax credits generally stop above 400% of poverty and use expected income for the whole 2026 tax year. Eligibility for Medicaid or an affordable, minimum-value employer offer can prevent credits; the 2026 employer affordability percentage is 9.96%, using the premium test appropriate to the employee or family member. Ask HealthSource RI to check the annual estimate and any employer offer rather than relying only on today’s monthly income.
What you get
  • Individual or family health plans during a qualifying enrollment window.
  • Premium help for eligible households with income up to 400% of poverty.
What this covers
  • Plans have their own premiums, deductibles and copays. Financial help depends on the household’s eligibility.
  • An oncology group, hospital, pharmacy and particular medicine can have different network or coverage arrangements.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask a HealthSource RI representative to compare options using the date your old coverage ends.
  2. Have income estimates, the coverage-loss notice and your child’s treatment team and medicine list ready.
  3. Ask the hospital financial counselor to compare networks, treatment approvals and total costs before you choose.

HealthSource RI: 1-855-840-4774 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • Before the old plan ends, ask HealthSource RI and the hospital counselor to confirm the new plan’s start date, the first premium amount and due date, and the proof of coverage loss it needs. The state manual generally starts qualifying loss coverage on the first day of the month after the loss; a midmonth-loss alternative needs advance contact and plan selection. An application alone is not active insurance, and the ordinary 23rd-of-month payment rule does not replace the deadline given for your special-enrollment case.
Good to know

A cheaper monthly premium can come with higher treatment costs or a different hospital network.

Other details
  • Continuation coverage may preserve the existing work plan at a higher premium. The comparison depends on both price and access to treatment.
  • For 2026, excess advance premium tax credits may have to be repaid in full. HealthSource RI can update your annual income estimate and coverage changes. A tax preparer can check the final calculation.

Federal background: Marketplace special enrollment.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If our coverage ends, which HealthSource RI plans would keep our cancer team and medicines covered? Could you help us weigh the costs and choose the right enrollment date?”

Why I’m asking: I want to avoid a gap in treatment coverage when an old plan ends.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply within 60 days of the loss and check the oncology network before choosing.

Your social worker

The hospital financial counsellor can tell you which plans the oncology team is in.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
HealthSource RI.
Ask your social worker
“Which HealthSource RI plans include this hospital and our oncology team?”

How to apply

First step: Call 1-855-840-4774 or go to healthsourceri.com within 60 days of the loss.

  1. Write down the date cover ends. The 60 days run from it.
  2. Compare plans for whether the hospital and the oncology team are in the network, not just the premium.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply online or by phone within the window.

What to gather

The diagnosis letter, the child’s insurance card, and the last two pay stubs cover most applications. The official page lists the rest.

Clock: 60 days from losing cover to enrol at HealthSource RI. A Medicaid loss also opens the 60 days before it.

Watch out

  • The window is 60 days, not open all year.
  • Compare the oncology network first; the cheapest plan is no use if the team is outside it.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 10, 2026.

What it is worth

A plan you can buy within 60 days of losing cover, with help toward the premium up to 400% of poverty.

Covers: Individual and family plans · Help toward the premium below 400% of poverty · A 60-day window after a qualifying loss of cover, and 60 days before a Medicaid loss

What it costs the family: You pay a premium; help toward it depends on income.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
premium help ends above 400% of poverty
Residency
Rhode Island
Window
60 days after a qualifying event; 60 days before or after a Medicaid loss; one conditional 30-day extension

The trap: The window is 60 days, and for a Medicaid loss it opens 60 days before as well as after. There is one conditional extra 30 days when a renewal problem made you miss the window; it is not an automatic 90 days.

Where I read this

← Back to your options