Question
I missed open enrollment. Can I still get health insurance?
Short answer
Only if a life event gives you a special enrollment period, like moving, losing other coverage, marriage or a new baby. Medicaid and CHIP accept people all year.
Events that open a special enrollment period
Outside open enrollment, you can buy a marketplace plan only during a special enrollment period. You usually have 60 days from the event. Common ones:
- Losing health coverage, for example when a job ends. Quitting a plan or not paying premiums doesn't count.
- Moving to a new ZIP code or county, or moving to the US.
- Getting married, having or adopting a child.
- Big income changes that make you newly eligible for help with premiums, in some cases.
Employer plans have their own window
A job-based plan has its own enrollment period, often in the fall. Life events like marriage or losing other coverage also let you join it mid-year, but usually only within 30 days. If you lose a job-based plan, you can often keep it for a while through COBRA, at the full price.
Be careful with stopgap plans
Short-term health plans can be bought any time, but they don't have to cover pre-existing conditions or all the basics a Marketplace plan must cover. Read what's excluded before relying on one.
This is general information about how US policies usually work. Your own policy's wording and your state's rules decide the details.