By Rachel Quinn
Open Enrollment is an annual forty five day window that Americans have to enroll into Affordable Health Care or Marketplace Health Insurance. During this period you can go over your health care options for the upcoming year and enroll into a plan that is right for you and your family. However, life can be hectic and we all have times when we forget to do things and change happens, marriage, income change, a loss of coverage. So in case you fall into the “hectic” category of life, here are a few events that qualify you and what to do if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period
There are several events that can qualify you for an SEP or Special Enrollment Period:
Moving to a new zip code, state
Getting married/divorced
Having a baby
A change in income
Loss of coverage
Being released from incarceration
If you think that you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period the first thing you should do is get with an agent or broker to assist you in completing your special enrollment application. You should do this as soon as possible because you only have 60 days from the date of your qualifying event to complete your application before your special enrollment period expires. You should also be sure to keep any kind of related documents to verify your qualifying event actually happened. Here are some examples of documents you might submit:
For a permanent move you should submit:
U.S. Postal Service change of address confirmation letter
Mortgage or rental document for your new address
A rental or lease agreement that shows a start date at your new address.
A letter from a government organization, on official letterhead or stationery, that shows a change of address to your new address
**These documents must contain your name and date of your move**
For a loss of coverage you should submit:
A letter from an insurance company
A COBRA statement
A statement from a government health program like TRICARE, Medicaid, or Medicare showing when coverage will end
A letter from an employer
**These documents should include the date of your loss of coverage and your name**
After you pick a plan you will have 30 days to submit your documents for verification. This is a time sensitive ordeal so you should make sure to submit your documents early as possible because your insurance will not be effective until your documents have been verified, and this can take up to 30 days itself. You’ll need to either submit your documents to your broker or agent to upload to the marketplace or you can upload it yourself at healthcare.gov.
As specialists in the healthcare enrollment field, it is our job at American Exchange to make sure each client feels secure in relying on us to complete the process for them. With secure browsing capabilities and HIPAA compliant software, it is easier than ever to upload and keep track of your documents. If you or someone you know is struggling to upload documents to the marketplace, you can reach out to one of our representatives Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Located in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, we care about our community, and are happy to help you upload your documents electronically. To learn more, call our main line at 423-424-0586.
