Field note · Texas
COBRA Ending, Family in Two States
A field note from a real situation: a North Texas executive turned consultant, a child at college in another state, and a COBRA clock running. Here is how I lay out the choices.
Ryan Michalek, Licensed Health & Life Insurance Agent, NPN 21043091. Last updated November 12, 2026 · Read my Google reviews
What do you do when COBRA is ending and your family lives in two states?
Line up the next plan before COBRA ends, and pick it by network first. In Texas the 2027 marketplace has no PPO in any county, so a student or spouse in another state can end up with little more than emergency care there. Texas law can add 6 more months after COBRA, and private under-65 plans often use national PPO-style networks, though they are medically underwritten. I compare all three on your doctors and numbers, with no fee.
The situation
A North Texas executive was laid off, started his own consulting and advisory company, and put the family on COBRA to buy time. His daughter is at college in Massachusetts and travels with a team, and the family is on the road a lot. With COBRA’s clock running, he went looking for help with one specific question: what plan covers North Texas and another state at the same time?
Why the usual answer didn’t fit
For 2027 there isn’t a marketplace PPO in any of Texas’s 254 counties, according to the federal plan data. Around Dallas the marketplace offers HMO, EPO and POS plans built around North Texas networks. That works for a family that lives and gets care in one metro. It’s a harder fit when one family member spends most of the year in another state.
The three roads I put side by side
- Stay on the work plan longer. Texas law can add 6 more months on the same group plan after COBRA runs out, if you were on COBRA (Tex. Ins. Code 1251.255). Same network, full price, and a bridge rather than a destination. More on how Texas handles a job loss.
- The marketplace. Losing that coverage typically opens a 60-day window. Over the subsidy line you pay full price, and the network stays local. Here’s what Dallas-area plans look like for 2027.
- A private under-65 plan. Many are built on a national PPO-style network, which is the point when your family is in two states. They’re medically underwritten, so approval isn’t automatic, and that’s why this conversation starts before COBRA ends, not after.
How I’d sequence it
Check every doctor by name in both states first, Texas and wherever the student lives. Price the private plans and get an answer on approval while COBRA is still in force. Keep the Texas continuation months as the safety net. Only then decide whether to let COBRA go. If your student is the main reason you’re shopping, this guide on family plans with a child at college in another state walks through that part.
Sources: CMS marketplace plan data for 2027 (QHP Landscape, individual medical, data.healthcare.gov, updated October 30, 2026); Tex. Ins. Code 1251.255; checked November 12, 2026. Details changed to keep the client anonymous.
In their words
“Ryan is great! He helped me find a plan that would help my family and I during this transition time.”
— Michelle B.
COBRA ending? Let's line up what's next.
A quick, private call puts COBRA, your state's continuation rules, the marketplace and private plans side by side on your actual numbers, including family members in other states. Text me and we'll find a time that works.