If you find yourself suddenly without health insurance, there is a good chance that you’ve experienced a qualifying life event that could trigger a special enrollment period. Some of the reasons for loss of coverage that count as qualifying life events include:
- Turning 26. The Affordable Care Act allows children to remain on their parents’ insurance until they reach the age of 26. This means that when they turn 26, many children lose their coverage. They are thus eligible for a special enrollment period to get coverage for themselves.
- Losing Your Source of Coverage. Most people get their insurance from their jobs, and many students get it from their schools. If you lose coverage under a spouse/partner’s plan, graduate or drop out of school, you need a special enrollment period to replace that coverage.
- Losing Program Eligibility. Public programs like Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP provide health insurance to individuals and families that cannot afford it themselves. If you currently rely on one of these programs but your income increases, you may become ineligible. In this case, you can use this special enrollment period to elect coverage.
- Update your elections on Workday within 30 days of the loss of coverage.
- Provide a copy of your marriage/birth certificates if you are adding dependents to your plan(s).
- Contact your Benefits Department with any questions.
