Understanding special enrollment periods for health insurance

En Español

Unlike other types of insurance, which lets you sign up any time, health insurance limits when you can enroll in a plan. 

You can sign up for health insurance two ways: during an open enrollment period or during a special enrollment period because of a qualifying event.

What is open enrollment?

For a time each year, you're able to enroll in a health insurance plan through your employer, your state's or the federal government-run insurance marketplace or directly through an insurance company.

For a workplace health insurance plan, your employer creates its own enrollment window, usually once or twice per year. It’s up to you to make necessary changes within that time frame.

Individual health insurance purchased through a state insurance marketplace or direct from an insurance company have a set open enrollment. Most states have open enrollment periods between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15. There are some that stretch into January, including California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and New York.

During this period, you can change your current plan or obtain new coverage.

What do I do if I missed open enrollment?

If you do not sign up for health insurance during the allocated time, you must wait until the next open enrollment period unless you have a qualifying event that makes you eligible for a special enrollment period or SEP.

If you have a qualifying event, you can purchase health insurance or change your existing coverage without waiting until the next open enrollment. If you do not have a qualifying event, you're required to maintain your insurance as is until the following enrollment period. 

What is a qualifying event?

The standards of what determines a qualifying event are largely the same across the board. Special enrollment provisions (SEPs) are listed in various places, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Sections 125 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), section 9801 of the IRC, and the special enrollment period section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

There are two types of triggers for SEPs:

• Loss of eligibility for health coverage
• Certain life events

The basic life events that create a SEP include marriage, birth or adoption, death of a spouse or dependent, job loss, job change, retirement, reduction in work hours and relocation. In New York, women who become pregnant may add or change coverage, but that is the only state that offers that option. 

A few life events don't qualify for a special enrollment period. Those events include a promotion or demotion with no change in your wage-bargaining status; paid or unpaid leave outside of Family Medical Leave Act parameters; and changes in your childcare expenses.

Most qualifying events trigger a special enrollment period whether you have a marketplace plan, individual plan or workplace plan; however, that is not always the case. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, some events only qualify you for a special enrollment period in the marketplace and do not apply to the outside market. The exceptions are situations related to citizenship, native status and exceptional circumstances.

Also, the changes you make to your health plan due to a qualifying life event should be consistent with the event. For example, if you get married, you can drop your health insurance, but only if you’re enrolling in your spouse’s health plan. See the table below for a full description of qualifying life events.

*Insure.com works to keep an updated and comprehensive list; however, the special enrollment chart may not apply to every benefit plan (especially dental and group life insurance that may be included in your workplace plan) and individual circumstances should be verified with your health insurance administrator.

Loss of coverage due to job loss                    

You should have a few options if you lost your health care coverage outside of open enrollment due to a job loss.

You may enroll with your spouse’s insurance. Employer-based health plans must provide a special enrollment period of at least 30 days. Some workplace plans allow more time. Check with your spouse’s health insurance administrator to find out how long your plan allows for changes to be made if you are eligible for a special enrollment period.

Another option is to buy an individual health insurance plan through the marketplace or directly from an insurance company or broker. If your spouse and dependents also lost their coverage, you can get a family plan. This gives you a SEP that starts up to 60 days before and 60 days after your loss of coverage date. This allows you to search for coverage if you know in advance you're losing your job and health insurance plan. 

You also have the option of maintaining your current insurance. Most large employers offer COBRA, which is the option to continue under your employer's group plan for up to 18 months. COBRA is costly, since you continue to pay your portion of the fee, plus the portion your employer was paying, plus an administrative fee.

Another option is to enroll in publicly-subsidized Medicaid, which sometimes becomes available when a person's income drops dramatically. Medicaid typically covers children, the disabled and certain other vulnerable groups, but about three-dozen states have expanded it to cover low-income adults. So-called Medicaid expansion states allow coverage for people whose income is up to 138% of the federal poverty level. 

About three dozen states have expanded Medicaid. 

How do I make a change or obtain insurance during a special enrollment period?

If you are shopping for a policy from the marketplace, you can answer a few screening questions to see if you qualify for a special enrollment period. If so, you can make your changes or obtain a policy online or by phone. 

The marketplace requires proof of eligibility for the SEPs. Be prepared to show documentation of your eligibility for it.

If you have health insurance through your employer, you need to contact your health insurance administrator to inform them of your situation. The administrator should confirm your situation opens up a special enrollment period and can help you make your changes to your policy.  Proof of the event, is generally required – such as birth, death, job loss of spouse, etc. 

There are time limits to your special enrollment period: 60 days after the triggering event normally with the marketplace and 30 days typically for workplace plans. It’s necessary to act quickly. If you don’t apply during this period, you’ll have to wait for the next open enrollment period to open up. 

It is important to give truthful information when applying for insurance and trying to get a special enrollment period to open up. Anyone who intentionally provides false or untrue information are subject to penalties under federal law. 

When does the change take effect?

Most changes for workplace plans go into effect the first of the month, which follows the event or the date you reported the event seeking coverage or changes. For cancellations, it may be the last day of the month after the event. Mid-month changes normally only are done in the event of a birth or death.

Plan rules can vary. Speak with your health insurance administrator to find out for certain.

Medicare has different rules

Enrollment for Medicare comes with its own set of rules.

A person becomes eligible for Medicare at age 65, unless the person has been receiving disability and social security payments. The initial enrollment period (IEP) is seven months. It begins three months before the enrollee's birth month, goes through the month of his 65th birthday, then continues for three months. Enrollment may be completed anytime within that window.

Each year, there is an open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. At that time, you can make changes to your Medicare plan or Medicare drug plan. If you want to make changes outside of the open enrollment period, certain living or coverage changes are considered qualifying events and will create a special enrollment period. You can find the full list on Medicare.gov.

If you didn’t sign up for Medicare Part A or Part B when you were first eligible, but enroll later, you will be hit with a late enrollment penalty. Part A doesn't have premiums for nearly all Americans. So, sign up for Part A whether you plan to have another insurance plan or not if you're eligible.

For Part B, if you failed to sign up when first eligible, you'll have to pay a late penalty for as long as you have Part B. Your late enrollment penalty is paying up to 10% for each 12-month period that you could have had Part B, but didn’t sign up for it. 

The other Medicare option is Medicare Advantage. Private insurers offer these plans. Medicare Advantage often have supplemental benefits, such as dental and prescription drug coverage. 

What if I don’t want insurance?

Americans don't have to buy health insurance again. The ACA required nearly all Americans to have health coverage, but Congress eliminated the individual mandate penalty. 

It's usually a wise decision to buy health insurance, so make sure not buying coverage makes sense in your situation before forging insurance. Don't make that decision lightly. 

What if I missed enrollment, and I don't have a qualifying event?

Some health insurance companies offer short-term health insurance coverage that can provide protection until the next window rolls around. You can compare providers and easily purchase a health insurance policy. 

Short-term health plans are open to everyone. The plans last up to a year with the chance to expand it to three years. They're called short-term health plans, but they're actually technically not considered health insurance (they don't provide enough protection) and they last for a year or more, which is far from short-term. 

These plans have low premiums, but also don't have to provide coverage for many benefits that are common in other plans, such as mental health, substance abuse and maternity. 

What do I need to know before the next enrollment window?

Choosing a health insurance package can be daunting. Take time to understand what you are purchasing, whether during the standard enrollment window or a special enrollment period.

If you have questions about finding the right plan for your needs, you may benefit from finding a reputable, licensed insurance broker or working with one of your state marketplace’s navigators, whose job it is to point people toward workable plans.

Maintaining health coverage will help you and your dependents save money should you find yourself with a sudden medical emergency or if you are managing health issues. Understanding when you’re eligible to make changes is key to avoiding mistakes and missed opportunities that could lead to fines, high-cost policies or medical bills for which you’d be on your own to pay.