Open enrollment is the main time to sign up for health insurance — but life doesn’t run on a calendar. If something big changes, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that lets you enroll or switch plans mid-year.
Key takeaways
- For Marketplace plans, you generally have 60 days after a qualifying life event to enroll (and for some events, up to 60 days before).
- Employer plans usually give you at least 30 days.
- You may need to submit documents proving the event.
- Medicaid and CHIP accept applications all year — no SEP needed.
Life events that usually qualify
Losing coverage
- Losing job-based coverage — job loss, reduced hours, or your employer dropping the plan. (See COBRA vs. Marketplace.)
- Aging off a parent’s plan at 26. See what to do when you turn 26.
- Losing Medicaid or CHIP eligibility.
- Your plan ending or being discontinued, including when an insurer leaves your area.
Changes in your household
- Getting married.
- Having a baby, adopting, or placing a child in foster care. Coverage can start from the date of the event. See adding a newborn.
- Divorce or legal separation that causes you to lose coverage.
Changes in where you live or your situation
- Moving to a new ZIP code or county, to the U.S., or for school or seasonal work — usually only if you had qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move.
- Other situations, such as gaining citizenship or lawful presence, leaving incarceration, or becoming a member of a federally recognized tribe.
What usually does NOT qualify
- Voluntarily quitting a plan or not paying your premiums.
- Dropping COBRA early on purpose.
- Getting sick or diagnosed with a condition — this is not a qualifying event.
- Simply deciding you want different coverage.
How to use a Special Enrollment Period
- Act quickly. Mark the 60-day deadline on your calendar the day the event happens.
- Apply on HealthCare.gov or your state marketplace and report the life event.
- Gather proof — a termination letter, marriage certificate, birth certificate, lease or utility bill showing your new address.
- Pick a plan and pay the first premium so coverage starts.
Coverage start dates: for most SEPs, coverage begins the first day of the month after you pick a plan. For births and adoptions, coverage can begin on the day of the event.
Related: Open Enrollment 2027 dates · How insurance costs work
Sources: HealthCare.gov Special Enrollment Period guidance; CMS. Rules vary by marketplace and plan. For education only — not insurance advice. Last reviewed October 2026.