My group health insurance expires at the end of October.

My previous employer does not allow conversion, 
nor does the group insurance provider.

So, as an early retiree, how can I get private health insurance?
Does the insurance industry offer health insurance
to early retirees?

Hi rambler,

The insurance industry offers health insurance to anyone who a) can
pay for it, and b) an insurance company evaluates as an acceptable
risk.  Costs vary depending on the age, health, and number of insured
people.

You can start by contacting one or more insurance brokers.  They are
listed in the Yellow Pages and if you would like to shop on the
Internet, there are probably some with Sponsored Links on this very
page.  A broker can tell you about what plans are available and how
much they cost.  You will have to fill out an application, probably
going into some detail about the medical histories of all the people
to be insured.

If all the insurance companies to which you apply turn you down, you
still have options.  You may be able to join a group, such as a
professional association, that offers group coverage, and some states
have programs to help people whom insurance companies have declined to
cover.  For example, in California, there is the Major Risk Medical
Insurance Program.

http://www.mrmib.ca.gov/MRMIB/MRMIPBRO.pdf

And in Mississippi, there is the Mississippi Comprehensive Health
Insurance Risk Pool Association.

http://www.doi.state.ms.us/mchirpa.html

You also may have rights under the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA).  This is a big topic in itself.  This
Consumer Information page from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services is a good starting point for learning about HIPAA and whether
it can help you.

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaa/hipaa1/content/cons.asp

For more basic information on health insurance, you can check out a
Guide to Health Insurance from the Health Insurance Association of
America on the Federal Citizen Information Center website.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/guidehealth/guidehealth.htm

I have assumed you are in the United States of America.  If this is
not so, please inform me in a request for clarification and I will
either find information about your country or have my answer
withdrawn.

This is one those questions about a big topic where an answer can
barely scratch the surface of the information available, but I hope it
is useful as a starting point.  I obviously can't guide you through
the whole process of acquiring health insurance, but if you need any
more basic, general information, please feel free to ask for a
clarification, and I will help you if I can.

Good luck,

--efn

Very helpful answer. Thank you.