President Biden ordered Thursday (01/28/2021) the reopening of the Affordable Care Act’s federal insurance marketplaces for three months to give millions of Americans who need coverage during the coronavirus pandemic an extended chance to buy health plans.
The Special Enrollment Period (SEP) will be from February 15, 2021 through May 15, 2021 through healthcare.gov. This SEP will be available to consumers in the 36 states served by Marketplaces that use the HealthCare.gov platform, and CMS will conduct outreach activities to encourage those who are eligible to enroll in health coverage. CMS strongly encourages states operating their own Marketplace platforms to make a similar enrollment opportunity available to consumers in their states.
This SEP opportunity will not involve any new application questions, or require consumers or enrollment partners to provide any new information not otherwise required to determine eligibility and enroll in coverage. In addition, consumers won’t need to provide any documentation of a qualifying event (e.g., loss of a job or birth of a child), which is typically required for SEP eligibility.
SEP have already existed since the inception of the Affordable Care Act and included the following that has not changed under the new Executive Order. This order essential provides for an extension for those that have missed enrollment during the Annual Enrollment Period.
Life Changes, such as you or anyone in your household losing qualifying health coverage in the past 60 days.
Changes in household, such as marriage, birth, adoption, foster care, divorce, or death.
Change in residence, such as moving to a new home in a new ZIP code, county or State.
Want to learn more about your SEP options due to an impact by the coronavirus disease national emergency? Click Below