The official Open Enrollment deadline to purchase personal health insurance was March 31, but there were a couple of extensions and exceptions made. Now, we’re well past the deadline and extensions, yet there are plenty of reasons why someone may need to purchase health insurance between now and the next Open Enrollment — which is November 15 to January 15. CMS calls these reasons “qualifying events”. A qualifying event triggers a “Special Enrollment Period”, so applications can be submitted either on or off the Marketplace.
I received a call today from someone who didn’t know they had options when their COBRA coverage ended. I receive these calls on a regular basis. Most people opt for COBRA when their employment terminates and they don’t have another viable option. COBRA is an option that is well known and employers are required to make this continuation of coverage available to all eligible employees. The alternative to COBRA is an individual/family plan if one doesn’t obtain new employer coverage.
