Life Changes that Allow for a Special Enrollment Period for Health Insurance
Filed under: Health Insurance
Open enrollment for health insurance is a period of time where you can choose your health insurance plan for the upcoming year. Once you select the plan, you are locked into those benefits until the next open enrollment period.
This is true in most cases. But there are some life events that come up that make you eligible for changing or adding a person to your health insurance plan.
Jonathan Nolan
JPN Insurance Services
Significant Life Events to Qualify You for a Special Enrollment Period
Think about all the ways that your life can change when you lose a job or have a child come home from college. Both are examples of times that you are eligible to change your health insurance plan. Take a look at some other instances:
- Loss of Coverage: You may lose coverage if you lose the job that provided your health insurance. Or perhaps you turn 26 and no longer qualify for your parent’s health insurance plan. Another example of loss of coverage is no longer qualifying for Medicaid, Medicare, or CHIP.
- Change in the Number of People in the House: When your household size changes, you have an opportunity to change your health insurance plan. For example, you may experience a divorce and have one less person in the household. Or you can change your plan when you have a baby or get married. In addition, if your child comes back to live in your home after college, you can add them to your plan.
- Moving: You qualify for a special enrollment period when you move or are displaced from your home because of a natural disaster.
- Low-Income Status: If your low-income status changes and you no longer qualify as a low-income participant, you are eligible to choose a health insurance plan that works for you.
The best you can do is stay educated and ask questions when you think it might be time to cover your family more thoroughly with a better health insurance plan. Working with a professional team will always benefit you.
If you are ready to change your plan and think you qualify, call us at JPN Insurance Services to learn about all of your health insurance options: (951) 443-9925
