The timeline for enrolling for health insurance in the open enrollment for health care coverage under the affordable care act/ObamaCare, is between November 15th, November 2014 to 15thFebruary 2015. Not enrolling yourself by 15th February would make you ineligible to sign up for health care for the following year barring a special enrollment period.
Special Enrollment Period
In order to qualify for a special enrollment period for health insurance types under the affordable care act/ObamaCare, there must be certain life events that involve a change in family status (for example, marriage or birth of a child or loss of other health coverage).
Special enrollment period is a time outside of the open enrollment period. Eligibility into it means having a special enrollment period of 60 days. Basically you get a special enrollment period under the following circumstances:
- Having a baby, adopting a child, or placing a child in foster care
- Marriage
- Losing other health coverage
Important facts regarding Special enrollment Period
Reporting life changes immediately for health care coverage is important. Eligibility for special enrollment period provides you with sixty days from the time of the life changing event to enroll. It is also important to update information if the change makes you eligible for less or more savings.
Changes you need to report
You need to report changes to the marketplace if there is a change in your income or household size (increase or decrease).If you get married or divorced, if you are pregnant, going to have a child, adopting a child or are moving are some examples of this.
Other changes to report
Other changes that you need to report to be eligible for special enrollment period or savings are a change in tax filing status, immigration status, American Indian status or as a Alaska native as well as name, date of birth or social security number correction.
Updating Information
You can update your information or report a change by logging into your account on the health care website. Select you current application and then choose “Report a life change”. Click on it and upload your documents to report the change or you can simply contact the ObamaCare contact center by calling them.
Following up “Reporting a change”
Once you’ve reported changes in your life including changes in your income or household you may be eligible for a special enrollment period or become eligible for savings.
Time frame for Reporting a Change
It is important that you report a change as soon as possible. The changes can make you eligible for a special enrollment period (which is sixty days from the life changing event).
Updating or reporting detailed information of any changes that may have occurred in your life from household size to your income and beyond will make you eligible for the special enrollment period as well as for savings. So it is important that you make sure that you report a life change for health care coverage under the affordable care act/ObamaCare.