A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is a time when you’re allowed to make changes to your health insurance plan or enroll in new coverage even though it’s not an Open Enrollment Period. Under normal conditions, you are not allowed to sign up for health insurance or make any health plan changes except during the annual open enrollment period. However, certain qualifying events will trigger a special enrollment period allowing you to make changes for a brief time period (usually 60 days).
What Qualifying Events Trigger a Special Enrollment Period?
Things that change the size of your family or cause you to lose other health insurance coverage are likely to trigger a special enrollment period. Examples include:
- Divorce
- Marriage
- Birth of a child
- Adoption of a child
- Death of a spouse leaves you uninsured
- Loss of your spouse’s job-based health insurance
- Loss of your own job-based health insurance
- Reduction in work hours makes you ineligible for health insurance
- A Qualified Medical Child Support Order
- You move outside of your HMO’s coverage area
What do you do if you’re eligible for a Special Enrollment Period?
If you, or someone you know, may be eligible for an SEP, you simply contact Ohio Health Benefits for assistance. We handle everything from applying for the SEP, choosing the right policy and even determining if you are eligible for a Premium Tax Credit (subsidy) to help pay the plan’s premiums.
SOURCE: healthinsurance.org
To read the complete Summer 2015 Newsletter click here.
