The Special Enrollment Period is a time outside the yearly Open Enrollment Period when you can sign up for health insurance; consumers will need a qualifying life event to enroll. Life events that could qualify you and your family include:

Changes in household:

• Got married
• Had a baby, adopted a child, or placed a child in foster care
• Got divorced or legally separated and lost health insurance

Changes in residence:

• New home in a new ZIP code or county
• The U.S. from a foreign country or United States territory

Or, move to or from:

• Place you attend school (if you’re a student)
• Place you both live and work (if you’re a seasonal worker)
• Shelter or other transitional housing

Loss of health insurance

• Job-based coverage
• Individual health coverage
• Medicaid or CHIP coverage (or were denied Medicaid/CHIP)
• Eligibility for Medicare
• Coverage through a family member

An employer offers to help with the cost of coverage

You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if you (or anyone in your household) were offered an individual coverage HRA or a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) in the past 60 days OR expects to in the next 60 days.

Note: Your employer may refer to an individual coverage HRA by a different name, like the acronym “ICHRA.”

And more! 

The Open Enrollment (OE) period is from November 1, 2023, to January 17, 2024. Open enrollment is the yearly period when people can enroll in a health insurance plan for the next calendar year.

• Information about your household
• Home and/or mailing addresses for everyone applying for coverage
• Social Security Numbers (SSNs) for everyone on your application
• Immigration document information (this only applies to lawfully present immigrants)
• Information on how you’ll file your taxes
• Employer and income information for everyone in your household
• Current health coverage information if applicable
• Access to an Email address account

Due to the Public Health Emergency, Medicaid renewals were paused, but they’re coming back! Don’t wait – update and stay covered! Be sure your state Medicaid office has your current mailing address.

What actions do Medicaid and CHIP recipients need to take?

• Update your contact information
• Check your mail
• Complete your renewal form (if you get one)

If you no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, you may be able to get health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Marketplace plans are:

• Affordable. 4 out of 5 enrollees can find plans that cost less than $10 a month.
• Comprehensive. All plans cover prescription drugs, doctor visits, urgent care, hospital visits, and more.