Thanks to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (also called Obamacare or the ACA for short), health insurance companies are actually required to provide coverage to anyone at any time. This is regardless of the current health situation of the applicant - you can no longer be denied based on the presence of a pre-existing condition, for example.
The caveat, however, is that you now need to purchase insurance coverage during an open enrollment period that occurs once per year. But when is this open enrollment period, and what happens if you suddenly find yourself in need of coverage once this proverbial window has closed? Read on to find out.
What You Need to Know About Buying Health Insurance
In most states, the yearly open enrollment for compliant healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act begins on November 1 and ends on January 15. If you purchase a plan on January 15, for example, it will go into effect on February 1 of that same year.
The only exception to the above rule is if you qualify for one of a few different "special life events." The good news is that if you happen to be looking for medical coverage outside of the open enrollment window, it is likely due to one of these events anyway.
The first such event has to do with a situation that has led to you losing the coverage that you already had. The most common example of this is being fired from your job, for example, or being laid off for any appreciable length of time.
Another has to do with a situation where there has been a major change in your household. If you're getting married, for example, obviously you would want to talk to your spouse and streamline your healthcare as much as possible. Sometimes, it may be a situation where you've gotten divorced and you are no longer on your spouse's plan. Having a new baby would also qualify as one of those life events.
Finally, there are situations where you may be changing your residency in a way that impacts either your existing coverage or that had prevented you from getting coverage during the open enrollment window. Whether you're moving to a different zip code or from the United States to another country entirely doesn't matter - all of these things qualify you for a special exception that you can use to get the coverage you need through an HMO/PPO, EPO, POS, or one of the other plan types that are available. You can also use the opportunity to get dental, vision, or other supplementary insurance through both private health insurance and the marketplace.
If you're eager to learn more about what health plans are available to you, call us today and we’ll connect you with a licensed insurance agent in your area. They can help you navigate your options and find a plan that best fits your needs. Call today!
