The open enrollment period is a time of the year when you can enroll in health insurance, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). When you apply for coverage through open enrollment, you have the opportunity to get coverage that starts on January 1 of the next year. Open enrollment periods vary depending on your situation.
The annual enrollment period or commonly known as open enrollment, is the time of year when you choose your health insurance. You can enroll in a new health plan or switch to a different one. It is important that you take full advantage of this time and make sure you are enrolled in the best plan to meet your needs and budget.
Open enrollment is the time of year when you can buy health insurance. You typically have to wait for open enrollment before you can get new health coverage or make changes to your existing policy.
In most cases, you’ll need to enroll in a plan that’s available through your employer or your state’s exchange. If you don’t have access to either of these options, then you’ll need to shop for coverage on your own by going directly through an insurance company or broker (or both).
The main thing that determines if you qualify for open enrollment is whether or not your life situation changed during the previous calendar year. If it did, then you may be eligible for a special enrollment period (SEP) during which time you can choose a new plan without having to wait until the next open enrollment season rolls around. Examples include getting married or divorced; having a baby; moving across state lines; losing access to other types of coverage like Medicare/Medicaid; etc.
If you’re eligible and apply for health insurance during open enrollment, the health plan must insure you. The company is not allowed to use medical underwriting or require evidence of insurability, both of which could make it harder for you to get health insurance.
What Types of Health Insurance Use Open Enrollment Periods?
Open enrollment periods are used for most types of health insurance, including:
- Medicare1
- Job-based health insurance
- Individual market health insurance (ie, coverage that people buy for themselves, as opposed to getting from an employer), as a result of the Affordable Care Act (enrollment windows apply both in the health insurance exchanges and outside the exchanges)
When Is Open Enrollment?
The time of year for open enrollment depends on the healthcare plan you choose:
- Medicare open enrollment (for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans) runs from October 15 to December 7 each year, and there is a separate open enrollment period from January 1 to March 31 for people who already have Medicare Advantage.2 Note that the Medicare open enrollment periods do NOT apply to Medigap plans, which don’t have an annual open enrollment period. Medigap plans are only available without medical underwriting during your initial enrollment period or during one of the very limited special enrollment periods that apply to those plans, although a few states have implemented rules that allow Medigap enrollees to make changes to their plans on an annual basis.3
- Job-based health insurance open enrollment periods are set by your employer and can happen at any time of the year. However, it’s most common for employers to have their open enrollment period in autumn so the new coverage begins on January 1 of the next year. But some employers choose to have a health plan year that doesn’t align with the calendar year, so for example, you might find that your employer offers open enrollment in June, with a new plan year that starts in August.
- Open enrollment in the individual market (on and off-exchange) runs from November 1 to December 15 in most states. This is the schedule followed by HealthCare.gov, which is the exchange platform that’s used in 38 states as of 2020 (dropping to 36 for 2021, as Pennsylvania and New Jersey will be running their own exchange platforms).4 The District of Columbia and the other 12 states (14 in 2021) have more flexibility with their enrollment schedules, and most of them tend to offer longer enrollment windows. DC, Colorado, and California have permanently extended their enrollment windows, and a few other state-run exchanges have already announced extensions to the open enrollment period for 2021 individual market health plans.5 Note that Native Americans can enroll in individual market health plans through the exchange year-round, and are not limited to the annual open enrollment period.
Prior to 2014, enrollment was available year-round in the individual market, but in most states insurers determined eligibility based on applicants’ medical history, which meant people with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage; that no longer happens, thanks to the ACA.
Special Enrollment Is the Exception to Open Enrollment
Insurance plans that use an open enrollment system also have an exception that allows you to enroll outside of open enrollment under extenuating circumstances known as qualifying life events. When you experience a qualifying event, you’re eligible for a special enrollment period that allows you to sign up for health insurance outside of open enrollment. Qualifying life events encompass a variety of circumstances, including:6
- involuntarily losing other health insurance coverage (due to losing or quitting a job, aging off a parent’s health plan, COBRA insurance expiring, getting divorced, etc.)
- moving out of your old plan’s service area, or to an area where different health plans are available.
- getting married
- having a new baby or adopting a child
You won’t be eligible for a special enrollment period if you lost your other health insurance because you didn’t pay the monthly premiums though, or if you voluntarily canceled your prior coverage.
Note that although qualifying events and special enrollment periods in the individual market are similar to those that have long existed for employer-sponsored plans, they are not identical. Healthinsurance.org has a guide that pertains specifically to special enrollment periods in the individual market, on and off-exchange.7 And the Society for Human Resource Management has a good summary of qualifying events that trigger special enrollment periods for employer-sponsored health insurance.8
What Types of Health Insurance Don’t Use Open Enrollment?
Most health insurers in the United States use some sort of open enrollment program that limits sign-ups to a particular time each year. Here are some exceptions:
- Medicaid, the state-based health insurance, doesn’t limit enrollments to an open enrollment period. If you qualify for Medicaid, you can enroll at any time.1
- CHIP, the U.S. government’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, doesn’t limit enrollments to a particular time either.1
- Travel insurance isn’t subject to open enrollment restrictions. Due to the short-term nature of travel insurance policies, they’re not usually subject to open enrollment. However, some travel insurance companies restrict your ability to purchase a travel insurance policy to the period of time immediately after you book your travel.
- Short-term health insurance doesn’t use open enrollment periods. Like travel insurance, short-term insurance isn’t regulated by the ACA, and plans are available year-round in states that allow them (medical underwriting is used to determine eligibility for coverage, and short-term plans generally don’t provide any coverage for pre-existing medical conditions). There are 11 states where short-term health plans aren’t available, and numerous states that impose restrictions on short-term plans that go beyond what the federal government requires.9
- In some cases, supplemental insurance products. Supplemental insurance plans sold to individuals are available year-round. But if your employer offers supplemental insurance, your opportunity to enroll will likely be limited to your employer’s overall open enrollment period. Medigap plans, which are designed to supplement Original Medicare, are available for purchase year-round. But after a person’s initial six-month enrollment window ends, Medigap insurers in nearly every state are allowed to use medical underwriting to determine an applicant’s eligibility for coverage.
How many open enrollments are there for health insurance
There are three open enrollment periods each year for health insurance. The first one is from October 1st to December 15th, the second one is from January 1st to March 31st, and the third one is from April 1st to June 30th. In order to enroll in health insurance during these times, you must have a qualifying life event (like getting married or having a child).
There are three open enrollments for health insurance:
- The annual open enrollment period, which runs from October 1 to December 15
- The special enrollment period, which is available whenever you experience a qualifying event (like moving or getting married)
- In some states and in some cases, you can buy health insurance outside of open enrollment if you qualify for a special exemption
When Is Open Enrollment for 2023?
The 2023 Open Enrollment Period (OEP) begins November 1, 2022, and ends January 15, 2023, in most states.
The chart below shows the 2023 OEP dates for the states that use the federal ACA exchange. Coverage begins January 1. If you have a Special Enrollment Period, coverage will begin the first day of the month after you sign up. For example, if you sign up on February 15, your coverage will be effective March 1.
| States | Federal Open Enrollment Period for 2023 Plans |
| Alabama | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Alaska | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Arizona | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Arkansas | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Delaware | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Florida | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Georgia | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Hawaii | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Illinois | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Indiana | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Iowa | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Kansas | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Louisiana | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Michigan | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Mississippi | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Missouri | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Montana | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Nebraska | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| New Hampshire | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| North Carolina | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| North Dakota | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Ohio | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Oklahoma | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Oregon | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| South Carolina | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| South Dakota | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Tennessee | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Texas | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Utah | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Virginia | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| West Virginia | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Wisconsin | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Wyoming | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
Some states with their own ACA exchanges have different date ranges for the 2023 Open Enrollment Period. The chart below shows the SEP and OEP dates for these states.
| State | State Open Enrollment Period for 2023 Plans |
| California1 | November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023 |
| Colorado2 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Connecticut3 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Idaho4 | October 15, 2022 – December 15, 2022 |
| Kentucky5 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Maine6 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Maryland7 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Massachusetts8 | November 1, 2022 – January 23, 2023 |
| Minnesota9 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Nevada10 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| New Jersey11 | November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023 |
| New Mexico12 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| New York13 | November 16, 2022 – January 31, 2023 |
| Pennsylvania14 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Rhode Island15 | November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023 |
| Vermont16 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| Washington DC*17 | November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023 |
| Washington18 | November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023 |
| *In Washington, DC, residents can have coverage effective immediately. For example, if residents sign up by June 30, they can choose for their coverage to begin on either June 1 or July 1. |
I Missed My State’s Open Enrollment Deadline. Can I Still Get Healthcare Coverage?
If you missed the enrollment deadline in your state, it is still possible that you can qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that will allow you to apply for health insurance. You can qualify for an SEP if you have experienced a qualifying life event. Qualifying life events can include:
- The loss of health insurance through a job.
- Household changes such as marriage, divorce, a death in the family, or having a baby.
- A change in your home address.
See a list of qualifying life events. You have 60 days to enroll in a plan, if you qualify for an SEP. But, if you miss that 60-day window, you will have to wait until OEP to enroll in an individual health insurance policy for 2023.
If you missed the 2022 Open Enrollment Period in your state and you do not qualify for an SEP, you can apply for a short-term health insurance plan. Short-term health insurance coverage can be purchased outside of OEP for up to 364 days, and you can reapply for short-term coverage for up to 36 months in most states. Short-term health insurance plans might be a good, temporary fit for healthy people, as they will not cover pre-existing conditions like Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans.