Qualifying Life Events
When major events happen in your life, the last thing you want to think about is having to change your health insurance coverage. According to HealthCare.gov, changes in your situation - like getting married or having a baby - are Qualifying Life Events which make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period. This period allows you to enroll in health insurance outside the yearly Open Enrollment Period. You are required to provide proof of the life event and the date it occurred when searching for a new plan.
Complete List of Qualifying Life Events
Birth
Adoption
Foster care
New dependent living with you, such as a grandparent
Marriage
If you get married during Open Enrollment, a Special Enrollment Period is still triggered by your marriage. Enrolling during your Special Enrollment Period allows you to get covered faster. If you enroll under the general Open Enrollment regulations, your new coverage won’t be effective until February 1, 2017.
Death in the family
You only have 60 days after the death of a family member to enroll in a new health insurance plan
Loss of dependent status
Divorce
Retiring spouse:
- Change in employment status
- Loss of individual health coverage or a plan you bought yourself
- Change in residence
Moving out of state and, in some cases, moving to a different county in your state
A student moving to or from a place he or she attends school
A seasonal worker moving to or from the place he or she works
Moving to or from a shelter:
- Leaving incarceration (jail or prison)
- New U.S. citizenship
- Loss of eligibility for Medicare or CHIP
- Return from military service
Remember: If you purchased your Horizon BCBSNJ coverage through the Exchange (federal Marketplace) and need to make changes to your enrollment information, please contact the Exchange directly.
Have another question about your health coverage?
To get information about claim status, benefits, enrollment and more, you can: