If You Missed Open Enrollment, You Might Still Qualify

Open enrollment is over. So what happens if you lose your health insurance after open enrollment is over? You may qualify to obtain Affordable Care Act insurance through a Special Enrollment Period.

Qualifying life events may include:

  • Moving to a new state.
  • If you have a baby, adopt a child or obtain a child from foster care.
  • Becoming a United States citizen.
  • Are leaving incarceration.
  • A change of dependency status of someone on your plan.
  • The death of a covered member of your household.
  • You are turning 26 and aging off of your parent’s plan.

For an explanation of the more complex Special Enrollment Period issues, contact your local Independent Agent.

I’m leaving my current employer and my new employer will not cover me for 60 to 90 days?  What should I do?

A short-term health insurance policy might be an excellent, inexpensive way to acquire temporary coverage for accidents or a sudden onset of a serious illness.

Short-term policies are not intended to cover routine office visits or prescription drugs because they have “per occurrence” deductible, which means the deductible will apply for each individual illness. However, if you would sustain an illness or injury, hospitalization, subsequent doctor visits or need any prescription drugs associated with that illness or injury. Then will be covered by the short-term insurance.

Our agency has witnessed a short-term policy pay for an emergency appendectomy, a ruptured Achilles tendon, injuries sustained in an auto accident and our all-time favorite, a young child swallowing a bottle cap. (On the first date of coverage!)

Short-term policies are also an attractive purchase because of their very reasonable pricing. Usually about 1/3 of the cost of a traditional health care plan. We currently represent a variety of short-term health insurance provided by A+ rated health insurance companies. Under certain circumstances, some companies will refund unearned premiums if you are lucky to get health insurance sooner than expected.

Short-term plans will not provide the coverage that is required by the Affordable Care Act to stay in compliance with the law, which is one downside.

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