Special Enrollment
Get coverage when you experience a major life change.
You can apply for a health plan outside open enrollment (or make changes to your current plan) if you’ve experienced one of these qualifying life events, usually within the last 60 days. Or, find out if you qualify for Medi-Cal.
You lose Medi-Cal coverage (90-day special-enrollment period).
You lose your employer-sponsored coverage.
Your COBRA coverage is exhausted. Note: Not paying your COBRA premium is not considered loss of coverage.
You are no longer eligible for student health coverage.
You turn 19 years old and are no longer eligible for a child-only plan.
You turn 26 years old and are no longer eligible for a parent’s plan.
- You move to California from out of state.
- You move within California and gain access to at least one new Covered California health insurance plan.
- One or both members of the new couple can use the special-enrollment period to enroll in coverage.
- A child is born, adopted or received into foster care. The entire family can use the special-enrollment period to enroll in coverage.
- If you receive a child in foster care, you will need to indicate “adopted a child” in the drop-down menu when you apply.
For the birth or adoption of a child, or acceptance of a child into foster care, you can choose to have coverage start on:
- The first day of the month following the birth, adoption, or placement in your foster care of a child.
- On the date of the birth, adoption or placement in foster care.
- On the first day of the month following plan selection.
Your household experienced a natural or human-caused disaster (such as wildfires) declared as a state of emergency in California.
These states of emergency are currently in effect:
Los Angeles area fires (affecting Los Angeles and Ventura counties): Special enrollment ends March 8, 2025.
Northern California earthquake (affecting Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties): Special enrollment ends Feb. 3, 2025.
2024 Bird Flu (statewide): Special enrollment ends Feb. 16, 2025.
You have lost coverage after leaving active duty, reserve duty, or the California National Guard.
You become a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident.
- You are already enrolled in a Covered California plan and become newly eligible or ineligible for tax credits or cost-sharing reductions.
- You are already enrolled in a Covered California plan and you lose a dependent or lose your status as a dependent due to divorce, legal separation, dissolution of domestic partnership, or death.
