Health Insurance Guide
Qualifying Life Events for Health Insurance
A qualifying life event lets you enroll in or change a health plan outside Open Enrollment. Here is the full list of events, plus how long you have to act.
Key takeaways
- Qualifying events include losing coverage, household changes, and moving.
- Most Special Enrollment Periods last about 60 days.
- Act quickly, and a licensed agent can confirm your eligibility for free.
The main categories of qualifying events
Qualifying life events generally fall into a few buckets. If any apply to you, you likely have a Special Enrollment Period of about 60 days.
- Loss of coverage: job loss, a spouse’s plan ending, COBRA running out, aging off a parent’s plan at 26, or losing Medicaid eligibility
- Household changes: marriage, divorce, having a baby, adopting, or a death in the family
- Residence changes: moving to a new ZIP code, county, or state, or moving to or from school or a shelter
- Other: gaining citizenship, leaving incarceration, or certain changes in income that affect subsidy eligibility
How long you have to act
Most Special Enrollment Periods last about 60 days from the date of the event, though some (like losing coverage) can also start up to 60 days before. Because the window is limited, it is best to confirm your eligibility and enroll as soon as you can. A licensed agent can verify whether your situation qualifies and help you enroll before the deadline.
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Sources
This guide is general education from a licensed insurance broker, not individual advice, and not affiliated with any government agency. Rules change; confirm current details with the sources above or a licensed agent.