Open Enrollment is over- so now what?

Boy are we glad march 31st has come and gone. For those of you who did not get a chance to purchase health insurance- don't fear! If you started an application in any way on the Nevada health Link website, you have a special enrollment for the next 60 days and will be able to complete a brand new application and finish! I highly recommend calling us and getting help so we can do it right though.
For those who didn't start an application, would rather not deal with the exchange (we don't blame you), you can still enroll in health insurance with us outside the exchange. If you have a qualifying event (I will explain later what these are) you can have coverage start the month following when you sign up as long as you sign up before the 15th of the month. If you do not have a qualifying event, then we can still get you insurance, but there is a 90 day wait. This only applies to Nevada Residents though. The 90 day wait is calculated as 90 days from the first of the month following enrollment. That means if you sign up today (April) you can have your coverage start Aug 1.
Qualifying events are basically life events where you went through a change. You either lost your other coverage from work, lost your job, got divorced, or moved out of the service area. If you get married and want to enroll with your spouse or had a new baby, you also get a special enrollment. If you are a member of a Native American Tribe you can enroll anytime and get those special enrollments all year long!

ObamaCare Special Enrollments

ObamaCare Special Enrollment Period

A special enrollment period time outside of the open enrollment period when you and your family can sign up for health insurance. You may qualify for a special enrollment period of 60 days following certain life events that involve a change in family status (for example, marriage or birth of a child) or loss of other health coverage.

If you don’t have a special enrollment period, you can’t buy insurance inside or outside the Marketplace until the next open enrollment period. Job-based plans generally allow special enrollment periods of 30 days.

The following life events will generally qualify you for a special enrollment period.

• Getting married
• Having, adopting, or placement of a child
• Permanently moving to a new area that offers different health plan options
• Losing other health coverage (for example due to a job loss, divorce, loss of eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP, expiration of COBRA coverage, or a health plan being decertified). Note: Voluntarily quitting other health coverage or being terminated for not paying your premiums are not considered loss of coverage. Losing coverage that is not minimum essential coverage is also not considered loss of coverage.)
• For people already enrolled in Marketplace coverage, having a change in income or household status that affects eligibility for tax credits or cost-sharing reductions

Source: "ObamaCare Facts: Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Marketplace." ObamaCare Facts: Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Marketplace. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.