Health Insurance 101: What Is a Qualifying Life Event?

Usually, you can only enroll in an insurance plan during the open enrollment period. In many cases, that starts in November and runs through December or January. If it’s not the open enrollment period, you can only sign up or change your insurance plan if you’ve had a qualifying life event.

After a qualifying life event, you don’t want to procrastinate on signing up for your new insurance plan. Often, you only have around 60 days to enroll or change your coverage. (Check with your insurer’s rules to confirm the exact timeline.)

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Written by:

Lauren Smith, MA

Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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