Getting Insurance After You’ve Missed Open Enrollment: Alternative Options
Just because you’ve missed open enrollment, that doesn’t mean you have to go without health care coverage. Here are some options you can check into to see which choice best suits your individual situation regarding your health insurance needs.
Check to See if You’re Eligible for a Special Enrollment Period
A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is a time outside of the designated annual enrollment period when you can sign up for health insurance. In order to be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period, you need to have experienced what’s called a Qualifying Life Event.
Qualifying Life Events include events or situations such as:
Changes in Your Family
- Getting married
- Getting divorced
- Having a baby
- Adopting a child
- Gaining custody of a child
- Experiencing a death in the family
Changes in Residence
- Moving to a different state, zip code or county
- A student moving to or from the place they attend school
- Moving to or from transitional housing, such as a shelter
Loss of Current Health Care Coverage
- Ageing out of your parents’ health care plan
- Losing health care coverage due to job changes, etc.
- Losing eligibility for government assistance health programs such as Medicaid or Medicare
Other Life Circumstance Changes
- Ending an incarceration period
- Becoming a U.S. citizen
- Starting or ending your services as an AmeriCorps member
There are other events that may qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period as well. For instance, if you can show that you were incapacitated or the victim of a natural disaster, you may qualify for Special Enrollment Period status. See this
government webpage on Qualifying Life Events for more information.
If it turns out you do qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you can contact the call center for the ACA insurance plans, and they’ll show you how to apply for the right insurance plan from there. Getting approved may involve having to show supporting documentation of the change that qualifies you for the Special Enrollment Period.
Note that if you’re eligible for an SEP due to a Qualifying Life Event, you have just 60 days after the occurrence of said event to enroll in a health plan under a Special Enrollment Period.
After that 60 day period ends, you’ve got to look at other alternative options. Whether you’ve missed the 60-day window or simply want to look at other health insurance choices, here are some other options for you.
Getting Coverage Through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program
If you don’t have a Qualifying Life Event that allows you to enroll in a health care plan, you may be eligible for Medicaid or for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
These types of plans are available through the government and are income-based health plans. You can get Medicaid and CHIP anytime throughout the year, if you’re eligible for it.
Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP are based on your income levels. However, families with income levels too high to qualify for Medicaid may still be eligible for CHIP.
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program can be great options for you if you’ve missed enrollment and still need health care. Each state has different rules regarding eligibility criteria. Contact your state’s Medicaid agency for more information about Medicaid and CHIP eligibility.
Getting Coverage Through a Private Health Insurance Plan
Another option you have for getting health insurance if you missed open enrollment is to get coverage via a private health insurance plan. Luckily, there are short-term private health insurance plan options that could cover you until the next open enrollment period.
Short term plans and other types of private, individual or
family health insurance plans can be great options when you’ve missed open enrollment and don’t qualify for Medicaid or other government sponsored health care programs.
With private health insurance plans, you have an abundance of options to cover all of you and your family’s insurance needs and your budget. There are plans to meet the needs of all budgets and health scenarios:
- High deductible plans with lower monthly premiums
- Lower deductible plans
- Specific plans for ensuring your desired doctors, clinics and hospitals can be used
And more. Even though you’ll likely only need a private insurance plan until open enrollment time starts up again, you’ll want to make sure you have the right insurance plan for you and your family’s needs.
Since there are so many health insurance plans out there, you’re certain to find one that can meet your health care needs. In fact, you may even like your private health care plan so much that you’ll want to make it a permanent solution for your health insurance needs.
Related: What’s the Cheapest Health Care Plan?
Missing Open Enrollment Doesn’t Have to Leave You Uninsured
Whether you missed open enrollment for Affordable Health Care plans, for your employer, or if your
employer doesn’t offer health care coverage anymore, you don’t have to worry about being without health care coverage to protect yourself and your family. Call the team at AZ Health Insurance Brokers today.
We’ll walk you through all of your health care options so you can choose the right solution to help ensure all of your health care needs are taken care of. You can reach us at 602.617.4107
.
