Special Enrollment Periods

via MNsure, this includes their ongoing ACA exchange Special Enrollment Period but also explains other options for Minnesotans as well:

Health Insurance Options through MNsure during COVID-19

April 7, 2020

ST. PAUL, Minn.—MNsure, the state’s health insurance exchange, reminds Minnesotans who have recently lost a job, experienced a reduction in hours, or are otherwise uninsured to visit MNsure.org to get connected to health insurance. On MNsure.org, Minnesotans looking for health insurance coverage can compare plans and see if they qualify for financial help to cover the cost of insurance premiums or low-cost or no-cost health insurance either through Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare.

Here’s what you need to know

Uninsured? Sign up now.

District of Columbia

As I've reported before, the DC Health Link exchange is one of a dozen state-based ACA exchanges which is currently offering a COVID-19-specific Special Enrollment Period during which uninsured residents can #GetCovered. The deadline is June 15th.

A few days ago, however, they announced an interesting expansion on the COVID SEP...one specifically intended for employees of small businesses which offer ACA SHOP plans to their employees which these employees haven't enrolled in as of yet:

DC Health Link Expands Opportunities to Get Covered During Public Health Emergency

Monday, April 6, 2020

Responding to COVID-19 pandemic, DC Health Link permits uninsured employees of DC small businesses that offer health insurance through DC Health Link to get covered now

Over the years, I've estimated that even during the off-season (that is, outside of the official annual ACA Open Enrollment Period window), around 7,000 - 9,000 Americans typically enroll in ACA exchange coverage each and every day via Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs).

SEPs are typically a 60-day enrollment window during which you're eligible to #GetCovered via your state's ACA exchange if you have a Qualifying Life Experience (QLE), such as losing your existing healthcare coverage; getting married or divorced (and thus losing your current coverage); giving birth or adopting a child (to add them to your policy); turning 26 and being dropped from your parents plan; moving outside of your current state or rating area; getting out of prison or the military; becoming ineligible for Medicaid due to your income increasing; and a few other reasons.

As I expected, Connect for Health Colorado, which had originally placed a deadline of April 3rd on their COVID-19-specific Special Enrollment Period, has extended that deadline out until the end of April:

Connect for Health Colorado Extends Emergency Special Enrollment Period until April 30 in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak

DENVER — Due to the growing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and increased need for health coverage, Connect for Health Colorado will extend an Emergency Special Enrollment period for uninsured Coloradans until Thursday, April 30, 2020. 

Since March 20, approximately 5,200 individuals protected their health and safety by signing up for a health insurance plan through this Special Enrollment period. People who enroll during the extended timeframe will have coverage as of May 1. 

Just yesterday I noted that Access Health CT, Connecticut's ACA exchange, was reminding residents that the deadline for their COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period was coming up today.

Moments ago, as I was expecting, they bumped that deadline out by another two weeks:

Access Health CT Extends New Special Enrollment Period For The Uninsured

Back on March 10th, Washington State, which was one of the first states hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, was also the first state with their own full ACA exchange to announce a Special Enrollment Period specifically in response to the crisis. It originally was scheduled to last about a month, with a deadline to #GetCovered of April 8th.

Today they extended that deadline by a full month, through May 8th, 2020:

Washington Healthplanfinder Extends Current Special Enrollment Period, Gives Extra Month for Uninsured to Secure Health Coverage

In response to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in Washington state, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) today announced it is extending the current special enrollment period for individuals who are uninsured.

via Access Health CT (this is actaully the press release from a couple of weeks ago, thus the "starting today" wording):

Access Health CT Urges Uninsured CT Residents To Take Action During Two-Week New Special Enrollment Period

New Special Enrollment Period starts today and ends Thursday, April 2

Back on March 14th, the Maryland Health Connection announced a formal COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period for uninsured residents, letting them #GetCovered through April 15th.

Maryland was already offering a SEP for uninsured residents to #GetCovered when they file their state taxes by checking off a box, but that was made pretty much moot when they launched the COVID SEP as well.

Anyway, today they announced that they're extending the COVID SEP out by another full 2 months:

SPECIAL ENROLLMENT FOR CORONAVIRUS STATE OF EMERGENCY EXTENDED TO JUNE 15

The MA Health Connector has extended their COVID-19 SEP out by another month:

Administrative Information Bulletin 03-20
Amendment to Administrative Bulletin 02-20 Guidance Regarding Special Enrollment Periods Due to the Emergence of the Novel Coronavirus SARS-Cov-2, Which Causes the Disease COVID-19
March 30, 2020

Me, 3/31/20, 1:14pm:

Well, today I received a likely answer which is depressing but not surprising at all: According to my sources, there isn't any technical, logistical, personnel or support reasons why HealthCare.Gov couldn't launch a formal COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period at any time. The only logical conclusion is that the White House has decided not to allow one for political reasons.

...The more people who come to rely on the Affordable Care Act--especially the ACA exchange operated by the Trump Administration itself--the more difficult it's going to be to justify the Trump Administration continuing to support a lawsuit with the sole purpose of attempting to have the ACA struck down by the Supreme Court...which they're continuing to try and do even in the middle of a pandemic.

Susannah Luthi, Politico, 3/31/20, 5:19pm:

Trump rejects Obamacare special enrollment period amid pandemic

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