Qualifying Life Events and the Affordable Care Act

Under the Affordable Care Act, certain circumstances count as a life-changing event that will make you eligible to enroll in the Special Enrollment Period for health coverage. This is especially helpful to know if you have missed the normal enrollment period and have had something happen in your life that counts as a life-changing event.

Examples of qualifying life-changing events listed on Healthcare.gov include:

• Moving to a new state
• Certain changes in your income
• Changes in your family size (examples include getting married, divorced, or having a baby).
• Gaining membership in a federally recognized tribe or status as an Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation shareholder.

You can read more about Qualifying Life Events and the Affordable Care Act over at Healthcare.gov.

Special Enrollment Periods for Complex Issues

You may also be eligible for a special enrollment period if you have experienced certain complex issues related to enrolling. There are a number of these complex issues that apply, we’ve listed them below and you can also read about them in more detail in the Special Enrollment Periods for Complex Issues article on Healthcare.gov.

• Exceptional circumstance
• Misinformation or misrepresentation
• Enrollment error
• System errors related to immigration status
• Display errors on Healthcare.gov
• Medicaid/Marketplace transfers
• Error Messages
• Unresolved casework
• Victims of domestic abuse/violence or spousal abandonment
• Other system errors

This is a very broad list and it’s entirely possible that you qualify if you’ve experienced difficulty with enrollment or have had complex issues happen in your life. We highly recommend that you learn more on one of the links above, or contact one of our Healthcare Advocates to help you to navigate these complex issues and make sure you’re getting the help you deserve.