Special Enrollment Periods for complex issues
IMPORTANT: Impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) national emergency?
Because FEMA declared COVID-19 a national emergency, if you qualified for a Special Enrollment Period but missed the deadline because you were impacted by COVID-19 (including if you or a family member was sick with COVID-19 or if the emergency impacted your job and caused you to be uncertain about your job-based coverage), you may be eligible for another Special Enrollment Period. Visit FEMA.gov for information about emergencies in your state.
If anyone on your Marketplace application lost coverage anytime in 2020 but missed the deadline to enroll because they were impacted by the FEMA-declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) national emergency, you can create an account and apply on HealthCare.gov to see if you qualify for this Special Enrollment Period, or log in and update your current application if you already have an account.
Note: You may be asked to submit documents to confirm the loss of coverage. Documents must show that you lost coverage within the past 60 days or more than 60 days ago but since January 1, 2020.
If you had a life event other than a loss of coverage more than 60 days ago and missed your Special Enrollment Period, contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325) to see if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
End highlighted textIMPORTANT: Recently impacted by a hurricane or other natural disaster?
If you were qualified to enroll in Marketplace coverage during Open Enrollment or a Special Enrollment Period but were unable to enroll due to a hurricane or other natural disaster, you may be eligible for another Special Enrollment Period. To qualify, you must live (or have lived during the event) in a county that is eligible to apply for "individual assistance" or "public assistance" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If you are eligible, you have 60 days from the end of the FEMA-designated incident period to complete your enrollment in Marketplace coverage and request a retroactive start date based on when you would have picked a plan if not for the disaster. See the following link for FEMA designation information: https://www.fema.gov/disasters. For help enrolling through this Special Enrollment Period, contact the Marketplace Call Center.
End highlighted textYou can enroll in a private health plan through the Marketplace only if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period if any of these apply to you:
- You have a qualifying life event, like having a baby, getting married, moving, or losing other coverage.
- Your estimated household income is within a certain range.
- You have other complicated situations, as described on this page.
Learn more about Special Enrollment Periods and your coverage options for the rest of 2022.
Other complicated cases that may qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period
Below are cases and examples that may also qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period:
- You experience an exceptional circumstance
- You experience a Marketplace enrollment or plan information display error
- You live or previously lived in a state that hasn’t expanded Medicaid and you become newly eligible for help paying for a Marketplace insurance plan
- You are determined ineligible for Medicaid or CHIP
- You gain or become a dependent due to a child support or other court order
- You experience domestic abuse/violence or spousal abandonment
- You get an appeal decision that’s in your favor
Exceptional circumstance
You faced a serious medical condition, natural disaster, or other national or state-level emergency that kept you from enrolling. For example:
- An unexpected hospitalization or temporary cognitive disability, or were otherwise incapacitated
- A natural disaster, such as an earthquake, massive flooding, or hurricane
Enrollment or plan information display errors
- Misinformation, misrepresentation, misconduct, or inaction of someone working in an official capacity to help you enroll (like an insurance company, navigator, certified application counselor, or agent or broker) kept you from:
- Enrolling in a plan
- Enrolling in the right plan
- Getting the premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction you were eligible for
- A technical error occurred when you applied on HealthCare.gov -- you probably saw an error message when completing your application – that prevented:
- You from enrolling in a plan, or
- Your health insurance company from receiving your enrollment information
- The wrong plan data was displayed on HealthCare.gov at the time that you selected your health plan, such as benefit or cost-sharing information.
Becoming newly eligible for help paying for a Marketplace insurance plan during or after living in a state that hasn’t expanded Medicaid
You previously lived in a state that hasn’t expanded Medicaid and weren’t eligible for Medicaid or advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) because your income was too low. But in the last 60 days, you had an increase in household income or moved, making you newly eligible for premium tax credits.
Being determined ineligible for Medicaid or CHIP
You applied for Medicaid or CHIP during the Marketplace Open Enrollment Period and your state Medicaid or CHIP agency determined that you weren’t eligible for Medicaid or CHIP after Open Enrollment ended. You may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period regardless of whether you applied through:
- The Marketplace and your information was sent to your state Medicaid or CHIP agency, or
- Your state Medicaid or CHIP agency directly
Gaining or becoming a dependent due to a child support or other court order
You gained a new dependent or became a dependent of someone else due to a court order. Your coverage would start the effective date of the court order – even if you enroll in the plan up to 60 days afterward.
Having experienced domestic abuse/violence or spousal abandonment
You're a survivor of domestic abuse/violence or spousal abandonment and want to enroll in your own health plan separate from your abuser or abandoner. You can enroll by contacting the Marketplace Call Center. Your dependents may be eligible too.
If you’re married to your abuser/abandoner, you can answer on your Marketplace application that you’re unmarried, without fear of penalty for misstating your marital status. You then become eligible for a premium tax credit and other savings on a Marketplace plan, if you qualify based on your income.
If you qualify for this SEP, you'll have 60 days to enroll in a Marketplace plan.
Prevailing on an appeal
You believe you received an incorrect eligibility determination or an incorrect coverage effective date and file an appeal with the Marketplace. If the ruling goes in your favor, you’ll be given the option to enroll in or change plans either retroactively or prospectively.
If you think you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period
If you think you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period for one of the situations listed on this page, contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)
The representative will ask for information about your situation to determine if your circumstances qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period. The representative will help you apply and enroll in coverage.
If you’re already enrolled in a plan and you get a Special Enrollment Period, you can stay in your current plan in most cases, or you can switch plans. In some limited cases, you may qualify for an earlier effective date of coverage. Remember, you must make the first premium payment before your coverage becomes effective.
Filing an appeal
If your request for a Special Enrollment Period is denied, you can file an appeal. If the denial is found incorrect, you can get coverage back to the date your Special Enrollment Period was denied.
How to file an appeal:
- Select your state’s appeal form, download it, and fill it out
- Mail your appeal to:
Health Insurance Marketplace
Attn: Appeals
465 Industrial Blvd.
London, KY 40750-0061
When possible, include a copy of any eligibility determination notice or other official notice you received. This isn’t required, but will help us process your appeal.
When mailing the appeal request to the Health Insurance Marketplace, be sure to include the last 4 digits of the London, KY ZIP code (40750-0061). This will help your appeal arrive faster.