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Health Insurance

Special Enrollment Periods

A window outside Open Enrollment to enroll in or change coverage, opened by a qualifying life event and usually lasting a limited time around it.

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Special Enrollment Periods at a glance

Opened by a life event
Such as losing coverage, a household change or a move.
Time-limited
Usually 60 days before or after the event.
Documents may be requested
To confirm the event before coverage can be used.
Not every change qualifies
Voluntarily dropping coverage generally does not.

What is special enrollment periods?

A Special Enrollment Period is a time outside the yearly Open Enrollment window when you can sign up for health coverage. You qualify through certain life events, and you usually have 60 days before or after the event to enroll. Whether a particular situation qualifies, and what proof is needed, is determined on the Marketplace application — not by a summary, including this one.

The kinds of events that can qualify

HealthCare.gov groups qualifying life events into these categories.

  • Loss of health coverageIncluding losing job-based coverage, or losing Medicaid or CHIP.
  • Changes in householdSuch as getting married, having a baby or adopting a child.
  • Changes in residenceSuch as moving to a new area with different plans available.
  • An employer offerHelp with the cost of coverage through certain employer arrangements.
  • Other qualifying changesHealthCare.gov lists several more, such as becoming a U.S. citizen or leaving incarceration.

How the timing works

For losing qualifying coverage, HealthCare.gov describes a window that opens up to 60 days before the loss and runs 60 days after it, so you can often arrange new coverage before the old one ends. For losing Medicaid or CHIP coverage, it describes 90 days afterward. When coverage starts depends on the event and on when you pick a plan.

Documents and confirmation

You may be asked to send documents confirming the event. HealthCare.gov says that after you pick a plan you have 30 days to send them, and that you cannot use the coverage until eligibility is confirmed and the first premium is paid. For loss of coverage, the documents show the coverage you lost and the date it ends. If your state runs its own Marketplace, check its rules for documents and deadlines.

What generally does not qualify

  • Choosing to drop coverageFederal rules exclude voluntarily ending coverage from loss of coverage.
  • Not paying premiumsLosing coverage for non-payment does not count as a qualifying loss.
  • Ending COBRA early by choiceHealthCare.gov says voluntarily dropping COBRA does not count; COBRA running out does.
If you are thinking of ending other coverage, it is worth confirming the consequences for your enrollment options first.

Leaving a job, and COBRA

Losing job-based coverage generally opens a Special Enrollment Period, whether or not COBRA is offered. HealthCare.gov notes that if you choose COBRA and later end it early by choice outside Open Enrollment, you generally have to wait for the next Open Enrollment to switch — which is why the decision is worth making during the window after the job ends.

How Open Enrollment works

A rule that changed recently

These change from year to year. Each one names the year it applies to and the government page it was checked against.

  • Plan year 2026 and later · All Marketplaces (federal rule)

    Monthly Special Enrollment Period for household income at or below 150% of the poverty line

    Not offered — paused through plan year 2026, and Marketplaces remain prohibited from offering it afterward

    Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · checked Sep 2026

Common questions

Can Medicaid or CHIP be applied for outside these windows?
Yes. HealthCare.gov says you can apply for Medicaid and CHIP any time of year.

Sources

  1. 1.Special Enrollment Period (glossary) — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (accessed Sep 2026)
  2. 2.Special Enrollment Period (qualifying life events) — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (accessed Sep 2026)
  3. 3.Confirming your Special Enrollment Period — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (accessed Sep 2026)
  4. 4.45 CFR 155.420 — Special enrollment periods — Office of the Federal Register / Government Publishing Office (accessed Sep 2026)
  5. 5.COBRA coverage and the Marketplace — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (accessed Sep 2026)
  6. 6.Getting Medicaid and CHIP — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (accessed Sep 2026)

Still have questions about your options?

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