The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, ACA, or, simply, Obamacare) turns 14 years old today. To celebrate this milestone for the still-contested piece of legislation, we highlight 14 Qualifying Life Events (QLEs) to enroll in ACA-compliant insurance plans outside of open enrollment. 

What is Open Enrollment? What are QLEs?

Open enrollment is a period of time during which individuals can sign up for, adjust, or cancel their insurance plan. In most states, open enrollment for individual insurance on the state-run ACA marketplaces runs from November 1 to January 15th. Open enrollment is aimed at preventing opportunists from foregoing health insurance while healthy, and then signing up for insurance once they become sick–otherwise known as adverse selection. 

There are a few exceptions to open enrollment, known as Qualifying Life Events (QLEs), which, once experienced by an individual, re-opens the marketplace to that individual. This helps those experiencing a change in coverage stay covered, while circumventing loopholes that would result in adverse selection.

14 Years, 14 QLE’s

Here are 14 QLEs that would make one eligible to enroll in, adjust, or cancel their insurance plan outside of the open enrollment period:

Loss of Health Coverage

• Losing existing health coverage, including job-based, individual, and student plans
• Losing eligibility for Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP
• Turning 26 and losing coverage through a parent’s plan

Changes in household

• Getting married or divorced
• Having a baby or adopting a child
• Death in the family

Changes in residence

• Moving to a different ZIP code or county
• A student moving to or from the place they attend school
• A seasonal worker moving to or from the place they both live and work
• Moving to or from a shelter or other transitional housing

Other

• Changes in one’s income that affect the coverage one qualifies for
• Becoming a U.S. citizen
• Leaving incarceration (jail or prison)
• Starting or ending service to AmeriCorps