Community Health Choice logo

Special Enrollment Period

Connecting you to the best health insurance for every stage of your life.

Happy couple moving into a new apartment with boxes

Special Enrollment Period

Connecting you to the best health insurance for every stage of your life.

I missed Open Enrollment. Can I still buy health insurance this year?

In response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for the Health Insurance Marketplace. This SEP is open to all Marketplace-eligible individuals and families who are submitting new applications or updating existing applications. This SEP runs through August 15, 2021.

This SEP opportunity does not involve any new application questions, or require you to provide any new information not otherwise required to enroll in coverage. In addition, you will not need to provide any documentation of a qualifying life event (for example, loss of a job or birth of a child), which is typically required for SEP eligibility.

You may also be eligible for more subsidies to help lower your monthly payments. Depending on your income and family size, you may qualify for extra savings of as much as $100 per person, per month. You may even discover that you now qualify for subsidies that you weren’t eligible for before!

Questions?​

Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Call Us: Local: 713.295.6704 Toll-Free: 1.855.315.5386

Special Enrollment Period Qualifying Life Events

The current SEP opportunity (ending August 15, 2021) all Marketplace-eligible individuals and families.

You do not need to provide any documentation of a qualifying life event to enroll.

Special Enrollment Period Deadlines

During this current Special Enrollment Period, you have until August 15, 2021 to buy a new health plan.

After August 15, some qualifying events, like losing health care coverage due to job loss, may let you buy a plan before the next Open Enrollment starts in November. Call us at 1.855.315.5386 with any questions.

Request More Information

Please fill out the form below to be contacted about our Health Insurance Marketplace plans.

Applying for Coverage

If you would like to get health care coverage during Special Enrollment, you have three ways to buy your plan:

  1. Online – You can buy your health plan on our website. Note: You must be on a Google Chrome browser. Download Chrome it here.
  2. Phone – Call 1.855.315.5386 to speak with a Community Health Choice licensed sales representative.
  3. Agent – Work with an independent, authorized insurance agent to sign you up.

Premium Tax Credits

Based on your income and family size, you may be able to get a subsidy, also known as a premium tax credit or financial help. This can help lower the amount you might pay for your health care coverage each month.

Before the American Rescue Plan, no assistance was available for individuals earning more than $51,040 and a family of four earning more than $104,800. Through the American Rescue Plan, higher income individuals and families are eligible for the subsidies.

The amount of assistance is based on your income and where you live. For example, an individual in Harris County earning $55,000 per year who was not previously eligible for subsidies, will now receive over $150 per month, or $1,882 per year, to help pay for health insurance.

The enhanced financial assistance available through the American Rescue Plan is for all of 2021 and all of 2022.

Call us at 1.855.315.5386 to learn more.

If You Don't Qualify for Marketplace Coverage

If you don’t qualify for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you may still have options.

You may qualify for Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), CHIP Perinate Unborn, Medicare D-SNP, or other assistance based on your income. This health care coverage is provided by the government. These programs don’t have an SEP, so you can apply at any time. You may also qualify for financial help.

Why Choose Community?

As a local nonprofit health plan, Community Health Choice gives you plenty of reasons to join our Community. From the benefits and special programs we offer to the way our Member Services team helps you make the most of them, Community is always working life forward for you and your family.

“Community Health Choice is always there to answer my questions and help me and my family with our medical needs. I truly appreciate and value their customer support and service.”

– Cecily
Member of Community Health Choice