My employer mistakenly offered me health insurance. I canceled my marketplace plan. Then my employer caught their mistake and revoked their offer. Now I’m told I can’t regain my coverage.

I'm a freelance data scientist in the United States. Being self employed, I got health insurance through HealthCare.gov in January.

I recently got a client who had me onboard through a staffing company. Bear in mind this was for a part time role (~10 hours per week), so I was surprised when they sent me the option to enroll in their Health Insurance plan. I even emailed them to confirm that it was not a mistake given my part time position, and they gave me the following response:

This is something that is standard for all XYZ STAFFING contractors. If you choose to decline, please follow the instructions in the email from benefits so that you can correctly enroll or decline.

So, I enrolled in the plan. Then I called HealthCare.gov and scheduled a cancellation for my existing plan. I specifically asked the person on the phone if I could undo my scheduled cancellation if something were to change in the next week or so and she said yes.

Then everything falls apart as my employer realizes their mistake. They tell me they should not have offered me the insurance and that they are revoking the offer. The problem is, HealthCare.gov is now telling me that I can't get back on my old plan and I need a qualified life event to get on a new plan, which I also don't have.

So I'm in this annoying position where I'm about to lose health insurance. But additionally, this is a major hassle and time sink for me – a freelancer who makes a living via hourly work. Also note that I have most of this back and fourth in writing, except for my calls to HealthCare.gov.

Any advice?

submitted by /u/neb2357
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