Open enrollment on the federal health law’s marketplace — HealthCare.gov — ends Friday, and most people who want a plan for next year need to meet the deadline.
But some consumers who miss the cutoff could be surprised to learn they have the opportunity to enroll later.
“While a lot of people will be eligible … I am still worried that a lot of consumers won’t know it,” says Shelby Gonzales, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Under the health law, people are entitled to a special enrollment period when they have specific changes in their lives such as losing other health insurance, getting married or having a child, or when they have a change in income that affects their eligibility for premium tax credits or cost-sharing reduction subsidies.
Those special enrollment periods generally last at least 60 days.