Starting February 1, 2024, the Annual Open Enrollment Period ends and the Special Enrollment Period begins. During the Special Enrollment Period from February 1st to October 31st, 2024, anyone seeking to enroll in or change their existing health insurance must have had a so-called “qualifying life event” within the last 60 days. Below are some of the most common qualifying life events that must occur before you are eligible to apply for new health insurance.
Most common qualifying life events (QLE):
- Recently moved
- Lost employer-sponsored coverage
- Released from Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid)
- Divorce or Marriage
- Newborn child
- COBRA or Cal-COBRA expiration
- Turned 26 and is no longer eligible to be under their parent’s health insurance
- Gained citizenship and/or lawful presence
Covered California is offering an extended opportunity for individuals to make changes to their health insurance plans until March 26th under a new qualifying life event called “Still need more time to elect insurance.” This is great news, especially for LA Care policyholders who wanted to choose a primary UCLA doctor but couldn’t due to the UCLA panel being closed for new enrollees. Additionally, Oscar clients who missed their chance to select a health plan can still make changes until mid-March. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to us at info@solidhealthinsurance.com.
If you do not have a qualifying life event, you cannot enroll in new health insurance until the next Open Enrollment Period which begins on November 1st, for coverage effective as early as January 1st, 2025. There are some options still out there for those who missed the Open Enrollment Period and do not have a QLE. Dual or foreign citizens can elect global health insurance, while US citizens can elect accidental or critical illness and hospital indemnity plans to cover them in case of an emergency (indemnity plans are not health insurance plans; these types of plans pay you lump sums of cash to cover defined medical expenses).
If you have any questions about your eligibility for health insurance during the Special Enrollment Period, please do not hesitate to contact us. At Solid Health Insurance Services, we strive to find our clients the right health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance that best fits both their budget and medical needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 310-909-6135 or email us at info@solidhealthinsurance.com for us to better assist you.