For Health Insurance, Does The IRS Provide A 31 Day Window For All Qualifying Events? 
The Affordable Care Act -LRB- ACA -RRB- legislation allows you to purchase/enroll health insurance coverage at any time during the year -LRB- including outside of Open Enrollment -RRB- if you have a `` qualifying life event . '' A `` Special Enrollment Period '' -LRB- SEP -RRB- is thus created and a you also become eligible for federal subsidies that can substantially lower your premium . This `` loss of essential coverage '' also allows you to choose among all available Marketplace plans . You have 60 days from the date of the event to choose and apply for coverage . Some of the most common SEP situations are divorce , having a baby -LRB- the newborn is eligible -RRB- , losing employer-provided coverage , reaching age 26 while on parent 's plan , becoming a US citizen , and moving to a different service area . Important : Answer was provided by Edward Harris , one of the leading US health insurance brokers with more than 35 years of experience . His award-winning website , majormedicalhealth.com , provides free online quotes to consumers , accompanied by the lowest available rates provided by major US healthcare companies . 