For many people, health insurance is something they get through their job. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past month has seen the number of new unemployment claims in Nebraska jump to over 95,000 – an amount more than the past 2 years combined. Appleseed and Enroll Nebraska are continuously dedicated to assisting Nebraskans enroll in or change health insurance plans as changes happen in Nebraskans’ lives.
Although the Health Insurance Marketplace’s open enrollment period remains closed at this time, healthcare.gov is available for Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) for individuals who have experienced a qualifying event. For up to 60 days after a qualifying event individuals may enroll in a new plan or change a plan in which they were previously enrolled.
Examples of qualifying events include but are not limited to:
- Loss of employer coverage due to:
- Voluntarily quitting
- Reduction in hours
- No longer being a dependent
- No longer living in the area of the plan:
- Moving to another state
- A child or dependent moving back to parent’s home
- A student moving to or from where they attend school
- Moving for seasonal employment but maintaining another home elsewhere
If you need assistance with your options or you have questions about eligibility, please visit Enroll Nebraska’s enrollment assistance locator at enroll-ne.org/local or call the Health Insurance Marketplace at 1-800-318-259. The Enroll Nebraska enrollment assistance locator page can also help find locations providing free and sliding fee scale services for low-income and uninsured individuals. For additional information or to ask questions, please contact Eric Savaiano at 402-438-8853 ext.126 or esavaiano@neappleseed.org.