If you don’t enroll during open enrollment, you might end up covered anyway. For example, Fronstin says that if you already have health insurance through an employer but don’t choose coverage the next time open enrollment comes around, typically “you’re automatically re-enrolled in the same plan if you don’t do anything.”
You may also qualify to purchase coverage if you take on a new job that offers health care benefits. Another way to get insurance outside of the open enrollment period is to qualify for a special enrollment period or to qualify for a program such as Medicaid.
However, in other situations, you may not be able to find health insurance coverage until the next open enrollment period.