What is a Special Enrollment Period?

Under the Affordable Care Act, it is impossible to enroll in a traditional/compliant individual health insurance policy outside of the Open Enrollment period each year. This is true both on the government Marketplace, and for compliant off-Marketplace plans.
There are exceptions. Those with a major life event (sometimes called a “qualifying event”) qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
These include:

  • Losing minimum essential health coverage – i.e. losing your job and your employer-sponsored plan.
  • Getting married.
  • Getting divorced.
  • Having a child (birth or adoption).
  • Relocating to a new state.
  • Losing COBRA eligibility and coverage.
  • Your health insurance plan is decertified by the government.

If you have a qualifying event, you will be given a special enrollment window in which you can enroll in an individual health insurance policy. This will typically be 60 days from the date of the event.
You will typically have to provide documentation to verify that you are eligible for a Special Enrollment Period.
If you have had a qualifying event, you can look at Marketplace plans here:

[button url=”https://www.healthsherpa.com/?_agent_id=1278″]See plans and quotes in South Carolina and North Carolina here[/button]

[button url=”https://www.healthsherpa.com/?_agent_id=1202″]See plans and quotes in Georgia and Tennessee here[/button]

If you have missed the deadline and do not have a health insurance policy, there are alternatives you can consider, including a short-term health insurance plan, which will provide a good safety net at a very reasonable price (far cheaper than a non-subsidized Obamacare plan).
As always, we invite you to contact us with questions that are specific to your situation.