In America’s current healthcare system, in most cases, you’re better off with the crowd. Usually, that crowd is your employer or a government pool like Medicare or Medicaid. But sometimes, due to choices you make, or circumstances you can’t control, you end up on your own, with full responsibility for your healthcare expenses. Here are some circumstances under which you might end up needing to seek affordable individual health insurance:

* You lose (or quit) your job.
* You have insurance through your spouse or partner, and they lose or quit their job.
* Your employer or your spouse’s stops offering insurance for you or your family.
* You change jobs, and your new employer has a waiting period before you become eligible for coverage.
* You take early retirement.