When the Affordable Care Act became law, it restricted when people can sign up for individual health insurance. Each year, for a period of about three months, people can sign up for individual health insurance. This is called Open Enrollment. Individuals can’t buy health insurance any other time during the year, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).
A Special Enrollment Period for health insurance is limited to a qualifying life event or certain types of complicated situations. Qualifying life events that create Special Enrollment Periods include:
A Special Enrollment Period to buy individual health insurance outside of Open Enrollment may be available for those with certain complex issues as well. Examples of these special circumstances include:
In addition, certain technical issues may also result in a Special Enrollment Period, such as technical errors by the insurance company during enrollment, system errors related to immigration status and technical glitches on the Health Insurance Marketplace website.
It’s important to know that Special Enrollment Periods last for a limited amount of time, usually 60 days. If you wait too long after a qualifying event, you may not be able to enroll in a health insurance plan. Go to healthcare.gov to see if you may qualify to enroll in health insurance in Wisconsin with a Special Enrollment Period.