Qualifying life event

A qualifying life event is an event in your life that makes your eligible you for a Special Enrollment period (opens in new tab) during which you can enroll yourself and any family members in a health insurance plan outside of Open Enrollment (opens in new tab).

When you experience a qualifying life event, you're granted a Special Enrollment (opens in new tab) period of 60 days to choose new health insurance coverage. On the list are life events that impact your health insurance like leaving a job that offered you health insurance, moving to a new state, getting married or having a baby.

There are four official types of qualifying life events defined by the government. These include:

• Losing coverage from a job, Medicaid (opens in new tab), Medicare (opens in new tab), CHIP (opens in new tab), or turning 26 (opens in new tab) and losing coverage from your parents' plan.
• Household changes like getting married, divorced, or having a baby.
• Changes in residence like if you move to another city or state.
• Other changes such as changes in your income, becoming a citizen, or leaving jail.

For a full list of qualifying life events, visit HealthCare.gov (opens in new tab).