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By YourBest Editorial Team · Updated October 22, 2026 · How we rank

Guide · HealthCare.gov rules

ACA Special Enrollment Periods: Getting Coverage Outside Open Enrollment

Outside Open Enrollment (Nov 1–Jan 15), you can buy a Marketplace plan only after a qualifying life event, and usually only within 60 days. Here are the events that count, the ones that don’t, and what changed for 2027.

60 daysafter most qualifying events to pick a plan

60 daysbefore losing coverage you can already apply

Year-roundMedicaid and CHIP: apply any time

Events that qualify

Event	Notes
Losing health coverage	Job-based coverage, Medicaid or CHIP, a parent’s plan at 26, COBRA running out, or an employer that stops contributing to COBRA. You can apply up to 60 days before the coverage ends.
Household changes	Marriage, having or adopting a child, divorce or legal separation that ends your coverage, or a death in the household.
Moving	To a new ZIP code or county with different plans, if you had qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move (with some exceptions).
Other events	Gaining citizenship or lawful presence, leaving incarceration, becoming eligible for an employer HRA (ICHRA or QSEHRA), or AmeriCorps service starting or ending.

The full list and documents required are on HealthCare.gov. You may be asked to send proof of the event before coverage starts.

Things that don’t qualify

Dropping COBRA or other coverage on purpose, or losing coverage for not paying premiums.
Wanting a cheaper plan or finding out you need care.
Low income alone, for 2026 and 2027. The monthly enrollment window for people with income at or under 150% of the poverty line was ended for 2026 by the 2025 Marketplace rule, and CMS’s 2027 payment rule keeps it closed after that, in line with the 2025 budget law.

Medicaid and CHIP don’t have a window. If your income dropped, you can apply for Medicaid or CHIP any day of the year. If you’re found ineligible after losing Medicaid, that loss itself opens a 60-day Marketplace window.

When coverage starts

For most events, coverage starts the first day of the month after you pick a plan. For a birth or adoption, it can start the day of the event. If you apply before losing coverage, pick a plan by the last day of your old coverage so the new plan starts the next month with no gap.

Questions

I missed the 60-day window. What now?

You generally have to wait for Open Enrollment (Nov 1–Jan 15). Check whether you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, which you can apply for any time, or whether a later event (like a move) opens a new window.

Does losing a job qualify?

Losing the job-based health coverage does, even if you’re offered COBRA. You can choose a Marketplace plan instead of COBRA within 60 days. See COBRA vs. a Marketplace plan.

Do I still get the tax credit with a Special Enrollment Period?

Yes. The premium tax credit works the same way as in Open Enrollment, based on your expected income for the year.

Sources

Official sources only, checked October 22, 2026.

HealthCare.gov, “Special Enrollment Period” — healthcare.gov.
HealthCare.gov, “COBRA coverage and the Marketplace” — healthcare.gov.
CMS, HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027 final rule fact sheet (150% FPL window) — cms.gov.

Educational information. We are not an insurance agent or broker and are not connected with HealthCare.gov. · Advertiser disclosure