When Can I Switch Health Insurance? 
For a person in the individual health insurance market after January 1 , 2014 you can switch your health insurance in a limited number of circumstances under the requirements of the Affordabel Care Act . 1 -RRB- During the open enrollment period , which ended on March 31st , 2014 . The next open enrollment period begins on November 15th , 2014 for an effective date of January 1 , 2015 at the earliest . 2 -RRB- Having a change of life status event . There are several things that can occur in your work or personal life that would allow you to enroll or change carriers outside of the newly established open enrollment periods . Some examples are ; - Loss of employer based coverage due to termination of employment or reduction in hours . - COBRA expiration : your COBRA or state continuation of coverage period expires - Loss of a Government Sponsored Plan - loss of eligibility for Medicaid , CHIP , Medicare , TRICARE , Veterans programs , Peace Corps programs - Loss of Minimum Essential Coverage - loss of an existing policy with Minimum Essential Benefits such as ; a Student Health Insurance plan or State High Risk Pool coverage - Birth , Adoption , Foster Care or Legal Guardianship - Marriage - No longer being an eligible dependent ; loss of employer sponsored or individual coverage because you are no longer eligible as a dependent . Generally this would mean you have turned age 26 . - Divorce from a policyholder - Termination of a pre-ACA individual plan during 2014 -LRB- this does not apply to short term major medical insurance plans -RRB- - Moving : you move out of state , or to a new area that offers different plan options or is outside of an HMO plan 's service area - Returning from active military service - Being released from jail - Newly eligible or ineligible for exchange subsidies or premium tax credit or cost-sharing reductions . This would mean a change in income levels have either now qualified you for subsidies you did not previously qualify for or have disqualified you for subsidies that you previously qualified for . - A material violation by the health plan : the health plan you enrolled in violates a material provision of its contract This pretty well covers the situations in which an individual can switch their health insurance under the conditions of the Affordable Care Act . 