Last reviewed: 2 October 2026
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ACA enrollment: open enrollment, special enrollment, and what HealthCare.gov says to do
The short answer: HealthCare.gov says Open Enrollment runs November 1 to January 15 each year, and that outside it you may enroll through a Special Enrollment Period tied to a life event, or apply for Medicaid or CHIP, which accept applications all year.[1] This page reports what that one federal page says; it does not decide who qualifies.
The windows the source describes
| Route | What HealthCare.gov says |
|---|---|
| Open Enrollment Period | Runs November 1 to January 15 each year.[1] When we read the page it said that, starting November 1, you can apply for 2027 coverage or update your application with changes you expect for the year ahead.[1] |
| Special Enrollment Period | A period outside Open Enrollment when you can enroll in or change Marketplace plans.[1] The page says you may qualify because of a life event, such as losing other coverage, getting married or having a baby, or based on estimated household income.[1] Its glossary entry for "life event" also lists a new dependent and moving.[1] |
| Medicaid and CHIP | You can apply for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program any time, all year, and if you qualify you can enroll immediately.[1] |
What the page says about applying
To get coverage outside Open Enrollment you need to apply: HealthCare.gov says to create a Marketplace account, or log into an existing one, to start.[1] It says you can preview plans and prices before you apply.[1] If you already have Marketplace coverage, it points to a "report a change" page, and says that once you update your application your Eligibility Results will tell you whether you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to switch plans.[1] Its menu also lists a topic called "Send documents to confirm a Special Enrollment Period."[1]
Questions to bring to HealthCare.gov or a local assister
This is a list of questions, not a determination of whether anyone qualifies. Whether an event counts, and by when it must be reported, is decided by the Marketplace, not by this page.
- Which event on my application is the one that could count as a qualifying life event, and what date does the Marketplace treat it as having happened?
- What is the last date I can apply or report a change for that event?
- What documents will the Marketplace ask me to send to confirm it, and by when?
- Would Medicaid or CHIP be a route to look at, given that those programs accept applications all year?[1]
HealthCare.gov lists a "Find Local Help" link and a call line, 1-800-318-2596, on the page we read.[1]
How to verify this yourself
Open the HealthCare.gov page in reference 1 and read the "Special Enrollment Periods" section and the Eligibility Results after you apply. The federal regulation covering how Exchanges enroll people in qualified health plans is 45 CFR Part 155, Subpart E (sections 155.400 to 155.430), which the Legal Information Institute's table of contents for the Part shows.[2] Dates on the HealthCare.gov page are set for a particular enrollment year, so re-check them for the year you are asking about.
What this page does not cover
It does not state how many days you have after any particular event, because the page text we read gives no number for that, and we read only the table of contents of the regulation, not the text of its enrollment sections.[2] It does not cover state-run Marketplaces, whose dates may differ, short-term or employer plans, or Medicare. It does not say who qualifies, and it is not insurance, legal or tax advice; for your own situation, ask HealthCare.gov, your state's Marketplace or your state insurance regulator. Our NAIC search guide and regulator guide show where state regulators' consumer pages are.
Related checks
Our standard says how we check an agent's license and disciplinary history, and Check an agent reports our findings at category level. Neither is a review of any insurer, plan or health-care provider, and neither replaces asking the regulator or program named above.
When we will update this page
We re-read the sources when they change. If something here is out of date, tell us; corrections are dated on the page.
References
- [1] HealthCare.gov (CMS), "Get or change coverage outside of Open Enrollment", read 2 October 2026 — www.healthcare.gov/coverage-outside-open-enrollment/
- [2] Legal Information Institute (Cornell), 45 CFR Part 155, table of contents (unofficial text), read 2 October 2026 — www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/45/part-155
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