Special Enrollment Period
Special Enrollment Period in Response to the COVID-19 Emergency
In accordance with the Executive Order issued by President Biden, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for individuals and families to apply and enroll in the coverage they need during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what you need to know:
Consumers Who Are Currently Uninsured
- Between February 15 and May 15, individuals and families who want to take advantage of this SEP can find out if they are eligible by visiting healthcare.gov/coronavirus or beWellnm.com.
- Consumers who are eligible and enroll during this SEP will be able to select a plan with coverage that begins the first of the month after plan selection.
- Consumers will have 30 days after they submit their application to choose a plan.
Consumers Who Already Have Coverage through healthcare.gov (the Exchange)
- Consumers who already have coverage can change or update their coverage.
- Current enrollees will be able to change to any available plan in their area, without restriction, with the same level of coverage as their current plan.
- To use this SEP, current enrollees will need to step through their application and make any needed changes to their current information and submit their application.
- Enrollees will then receive an updated eligibility result that provides the SEP before they can continue on to enrollment.
- This SEP opportunity will not involve any new application questions or require consumers or enrollment partners to provide any new information not otherwise required to determine eligibility and enroll.
- In addition, consumers won’t need to provide any documentation of a qualifying event (e.g., loss of a job or birth of a child), which is typically required for SEP eligibility.
Enroll in Coverage Now
Visit healthcare.gov to submit a new application or update your current application.