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President Biden recently signed an executive order allowing all eligible residents to sign up for health coverage from February 15th through May 15th without a Qualifying Life Event.

What does this New Special Enrollment Period mean for me?

Individuals and families can typically enroll in health insurance during the annual Open Enrollment Period (usually November 1 – December 15), or if they experience a Qualifying Life Event during the rest of the year causing a personal Special Enrollment Period of 60 days.

The new Special Enrollment Period is designed to help America stay safe as we hopefully near the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic, allowing eligible residents to get coverage and get treatment if needed. During this Special Enrollment Period, anyone can enroll in a Marketplace Health Plan without a Qualifying Life Event, making it like the annual Open Enrollment Period.

Unlike most Special Enrollment Periods, if you enroll between February 15th and May 15th, you will not need to provide any documentation supporting a qualifying life event.

How can I get Health Insurance?

With W3LL, you can shop and enroll in health plans in most states. Our intuitive shopping portal makes it easy to compare costs and coverage, see if your doctor is covered, and estimate costs for your prescriptions. W3LL also provides real time tax credit determinations which could mean monthly premiums as low as $0.

Many Qualify for $0 Bronze Plans

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over 9 million uninsured residents qualify for subsidized health insurance through the Marketplace, and over 4 million are eligible for $0 Bronze Plans. Who might be eligible for these $0 plans? Typically, families who earn 1 to 4 times the Federal Poverty level. If you’re not sure if you qualify, check in under 3 minutes on W3LL.

When is the Special Enrollment Period?
For most states, you can enroll from February 15, 2021 – May 15, 2021.

Some states operate their own exchanges and control their enrollment periods. Here is a list of the states that have announced their own extended open enrollment or new special enrollment periods.

California: Now through May 15th

Colorado: Now through May 15th

District of Columbia (DC): February 15th to May 15th

Maryland: Now through March 15th

Massachusetts: Now through March 23rd

Minnesota: February 16th through May 17th

Nevada: February 15 to May 15th

New Jersey: Now through May 15th

New York: Now through March 31st

Pennsylvania: February 15th through May 15th

Rhode Island: Now through May 15th

Washington: February 15th to May 15th

 

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Bronze Plan, is this the Olympics?

Health Plans on the Marketplace are rated by metal tiers. For more information about metal tiers, check out our blog.

What's a Marketplace health plan?
A plan offered on the federally facilitated marketplace, sometimes called Obamacare, the ACA Marketplace, or healthcare.gov.