You can only enroll in ACA health insurance during specific windows — unless a qualifying life event triggers a Special Enrollment Period. Missing these windows means waiting, which can leave you uninsured for months. Here’s what you need to know.
Open Enrollment Period (OEP)
The Open Enrollment Period is the annual window when anyone can enroll in or change an ACA marketplace plan, regardless of health status or life circumstances. For the federal marketplace (Healthcare.gov), OEP runs from November 1 through January 15 each year. Some state-based marketplaces have different dates.
- Plans selected by December 15 take effect January 1
- Plans selected January 1–15 take effect February 1
- Off-marketplace plans may have different enrollment timelines
Special Enrollment Period (SEP)
A qualifying life event gives you a 60-day window to enroll in a new plan outside of the standard Open Enrollment Period. You must enroll within 60 days of the qualifying event — not 60 days from when you realize you needed to enroll.
Common Qualifying Life Events
- Loss of other health coverage — job loss, COBRA expiration, aging off a parent’s plan at 26, loss of Medicaid eligibility
- Marriage or domestic partnership
- Birth, adoption, or foster care placement
- Permanent move to a new coverage area or state
- Gaining citizenship or lawful presence
- Income change that affects subsidy eligibility
- Release from incarceration
COBRA and the SEP
Losing job-based coverage — including when COBRA expires — is a qualifying event. You don’t have to wait for COBRA to run out before enrolling in marketplace coverage. If your COBRA premiums are unaffordable, you may be better served by an ACA plan with subsidies immediately.
Act Quickly
The 60-day SEP window moves fast. If you’ve experienced a qualifying event, contact us immediately — we can help you enroll in the right plan before your window closes.
Call us at 1-888-972-0024 — we’ll verify your qualifying event and get you enrolled quickly.