NEW Special Enrollment Period

Late last week, HHS announced a new marketplace special enrollment period (SEP) that will be available in states that use HealthCare.gov (and optional for states with State-Based Marketplaces). People who lose Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage any time between March 31, 2023 and July 31, 2024 will be eligible for a marketplace SEP. After a person is determined eligible for the marketplace, they will have 60 days to choose a plan, and their coverage will start the first day of the month after they choose a plan.

People may face challenges transitioning from Medicaid/CHIP to the marketplace, and may not learn that they have lost coverage in time to act before the end of the current loss of coverage SEP. This new exceptional circumstances SEP will ensure that anyone who loses Medicaid/CHIP during unwinding can enroll in marketplace coverage when they are able.

People in HealthCare.gov states can access the new SEP through the online application or the marketplace call center. The SEP is triggered when someone answers “yes” to the application questions asking if their Medicaid/CHIP coverage ended recently or will end soon. People will not be required to supply documentation to verify their loss of Medicaid/CHIP.