Health insurance
What happens if I miss Open Enrollment?
Missing Open Enrollment locks you out of Marketplace coverage until the next window unless a qualifying life event opens a Special Enrollment Period, which lasts 60 days from the event under HealthCare.gov rules in 2026. Medicaid and CHIP accept applications year-round, and each year's Marketplace dates are published by CMS before the window opens.
By the DigiCare Insurance editorial teamLast updated August 2, 2026
How we source and review answers60 days
Length of a Special Enrollment Period, counted from the qualifying life event.
HealthCare.gov · 2026
18 months
Longest COBRA continuation available to most employees after a job ends.
U.S. Department of Labor · 2026
Year-round
When Medicaid and CHIP accept applications. No enrollment window applies to either.
HealthCare.gov · 2026
Which life events open a Special Enrollment Period?
Losing other coverage, marriage, the birth or adoption of a child, a permanent move to a new coverage area, and gaining lawfully present status all open a 60-day window. Loss of coverage is the common one, and it can be reported up to 60 days before the coverage ends as well as after.
Dropping a plan voluntarily does not qualify, and neither does losing one for non-payment. The Marketplace asks for proof, usually a termination letter, a marriage certificate or documents showing the move, and coverage generally starts on the first day of the month after you pick a plan.
What if no life event applies?
Four routes stay open. Medicaid and CHIP take applications all year if your income qualifies. COBRA continues an old employer plan if you are inside the 60-day election window. Short-term plans sell year-round but are not comprehensive coverage. A spouse's or parent's employer plan may have its own enrollment event.
| Route | What it is | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Medicaid or CHIP | State coverage for households under an income threshold | The threshold depends on whether your state expanded Medicaid; the state decides eligibility |
| COBRA | The employer plan you just left, continued at the full group premium plus an administrative charge | You have 60 days to elect it, and you now pay the share the employer used to pay |
| Short-term plan | Medically underwritten coverage sold outside the Marketplace | It can decline you for pre-existing conditions, it is not ACA coverage, and several states limit or ban it |
| A household member's plan | Joining a spouse's or parent's employer coverage | That plan needs its own qualifying event before it will add you |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, COBRA continuation coverage
When does the next Open Enrollment window open?
HealthCare.gov's Open Enrollment starts on November 1 for the following plan year, and CMS publishes each year's closing date before it opens. State-run exchanges set their own calendars and several run longer than the federal one, so the deadline that matters is the one your state's exchange publishes.
Those dates have moved more than once in recent years, which is why an out-of-date deadline copied onto a blog is the usual reason someone believes they still have time. Enroll early in the window and coverage starts on January 1; enroll later in it and coverage starts the following month.
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