Special enrollment period

A special enrollment period is a window outside the yearly open enrollment period when you can get health coverage. You usually qualify after a life event, like losing coverage, moving, getting married, having a baby, or adopting a child.

The window is short. For Marketplace plans, you usually have 60 days before or after the event to enroll. Job-based plans must give you at least 30 days. You can enroll in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) any time of year.

This window matters for bills. If you have a baby and enroll in a Marketplace plan within 60 days, coverage can start on the day of the birth. Then the baby's hospital claims can go to the plan instead of to you. If you miss the window, you may have to wait for the next open enrollment, so mark the deadline as soon as the event happens.