Open enrollment is only ten weeks a year — but the right life event opens a Special Enrollment Period the other forty-two. Answer two questions and see whether you can likely enroll today, what your deadline is, and what documents you'll need. No phone number required.
Free help confirming your event, documents, and deadline. No pressure, no obligation to enroll.
Educational screening only. This tool summarizes published federal Special Enrollment Period rules for general education. It is not a determination of eligibility — only the applicable Health Insurance Marketplace or government agency can determine whether you qualify, and some events require document verification before coverage takes effect. State-run marketplaces may have additional or different enrollment windows. Smooth Health Solutions is not affiliated with or endorsed by HealthCare.gov, CMS, or HHS.
Marketplace plans limit sign-ups to the annual open enrollment window so people can't wait until they're sick to buy coverage. But federal rules recognize that life doesn't schedule itself around November: certain qualifying life events open a personal enrollment window — usually 60 days from the event — during which you can enroll or switch plans just like in open enrollment, subsidies included.
The most common ones are losing other coverage, moving, getting married, and adding a child. A few groups skip the calendar entirely: Medicaid and CHIP enroll year-round for those who qualify, and members of federally recognized tribes can enroll or change plans monthly. Miss your window, though, and it's gone — which is why the 60-day clock is the single most important thing to check.
Losing your employer coverage counts even if you left the job voluntarily — the event is the loss of coverage, not the reason. The exception: losing coverage because you stopped paying premiums does not qualify.
60 days after your coverage ends — and you can also enroll up to 60 days before a known end date so there's no gap. Coverage generally starts the first of the month after you pick a plan. Declining COBRA doesn't hurt you here; you can choose a Marketplace plan instead, often with a subsidy COBRA doesn't offer.
Yes — birth, adoption, and foster placement all open a 60-day window, and uniquely, coverage can be backdated to the date of the event itself, so your child is covered from day one.
Usually — a move to a ZIP code or county with different plan options opens a 60-day window. One catch: you generally must have had qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move, unless you're moving from abroad or a U.S. territory. Moving solely to get new coverage doesn't count.
Typically: a termination letter for loss of coverage, proof of your old and new address for a move, a marriage certificate, or a birth/adoption record. You usually get 30 days after picking a plan to upload proof — but coverage may not activate until it's verified, so faster is better. I help clients assemble this at no cost.
Three doors stay open all year: Medicaid/CHIP if your income qualifies, short-term medical as a bridge in most states, and dental, vision, hospital indemnity, and other supplemental plans anytime. Otherwise, open enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, 2026 — put it on the calendar.
Once you know you can enroll, check what people actually pay — or estimate your subsidy first with the ACA subsidy calculator: