The Special Enrollment Period allows you to purchase a Marketplace plan, or make changes to an existing one, after the Open Enrollment deadline. The current Open Enrollment period begins on November 1, 2022 and ends on January 15, 2023.
To qualify for the Special Enrollment Period, you must have experienced certain life changes. Such changes are known as “qualifying life events.” You likely have a qualifying life event, if you:
- You get married;
- You get divorced;
- You have a baby or adopt a child;
- The death of an individual living in your home reduces your reported household size;
- You experience a change in household size that impacts what you report to the government for your household tax subsidy;
- You have a change in income (either an increase or decrease) and need to report it to adjust your tax subsidy;
- You have an increase in income and no longer qualify for Medicaid;
- You lose your employer health insurance coverage;
- Your health insurance plan cancels your coverage, even though you’ve paid your premiums;
- Your COBRA coverage expires;
- You turn 26 years old and can no longer stay on your parent’s healthcare plan;
- You move to a different ZIP code;
- You are released from jail;
- You experience domestic abuse;
- You are discharged from the Armed Forces; and
- When applying for health insurance, an error is made – either human or technical error – which results in you not obtaining coverage.
The Special Enrollment Period typically lasts for 60 days, beginning on the first day of your qualifying life event. In certain cases, as with losing health coverage, it is possible to enroll up to 60 days before the event occurs.
Please note: If you purchased a plan during the Special Enrollment Period, you must enroll again during Open Enrollment, even if you are keeping the same plan. Also, as is the case with plans purchased during Open Enrollment, for those who qualify, the Premium Tax Credit and Cost Sharing Reductions are still available for plans purchased during Special Enrollment.
For more information, contact a Community Health Center navigator for your county. A list can be found at https://scsbc.org/community-health-center-marketplace-navigators/.
You can also contact a health insurance broker or the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce (803-252-5733, sbchamber@scsbc.org).