What should I do if I can’t pay my ACA plan due to job loss in January?

Hi, I've been working as a remote contractor for one client (near full-time) and I was about to move up from my current Bronze ACA plan to a Silver one, but now I've just learned that my client is apparently not doing well financially and may not be able to pay me starting Jan 1st, yay. 🙁

I have to choose my next ACA plan by Dec 15th. Finding new work this quickly won't be easy during the holidays, so I'm going to stick with/re-up my Bronze ACA plan, but what happens if I have no income for the month of January, how do I handle that with the ACA, and what does it mean for me having insurance?

I'm self-employed (no employer-sponsored health insurance offer for me), but I may not be employed at all come January. Does that mean I have to apply for Medicaid instead? Is my ACA plan month-to-month or will I owe for the full year of it? Can you tell me how I should proceed? And thanks in advance!

submitted by /u/MidWesting
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