 TITLE: What to Know Before You Buy Health Insurance CONTENT: Know Where and When You'll Need to Enroll\n-----------------------------------------\nMost people get their health insurance through an employer, but you can't just sign up anytime. If you're starting a new job, you may be offered health insurance immediately, but some employers make new employees wait as long as 90 days before they can enroll. Employees who've been with the company for longer than that will have to wait for the company's health care _enrollment period_ before they can enroll in health insurance coverage or make changes to an existing plan. Open enrollment for employer-sponsored health insurance plans can vary depending on the employer, but it generally takes place in the fall.\nFind out when your employer's open enrollment takes place so you can be sure to make any changes, such as switching from one type of plan to another.\nIf you are unemployed or your employer doesn't provide health insurance, you can buy coverage on your state's Marketplace, accessible through Healthcare.gov, or directly from an insurance company or agent. Check with your state's Marketplace to confirm the open enrollment dates. Open enrollment for plans sold on the health insurance exchange at Healthcare.gov generally runs from mid-November to mid-December. Due to COVID-19, however, most states are reopening their enrollment period for three extra months, from February 15 to May 15.\nWhat if you need health insurance but you missed open enrollment? Generally, you must have a \"qualifying event\" to enroll in a health insurance plan through your employer or the Marketplace. The most common qualifying events include:\n*   Involuntarily losing coverage, such as by losing your job. (Voluntarily canceling your insurance doesn't count as a qualifying event.)\n*   Gaining a dependent, such as having or adopting a child\n*   Getting married\n*   Getting divorced\n*   Becoming a U.S. citizen or lawful resident\n*   Moving permanently\n*   Having a change to your income that affects your eligibility for premium tax credits or cost-sharing subsidies on the Marketplace\n*   Your employer-sponsored health insurance becomes unaffordable or no longer provides minimum value\n*   You gain access to a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Account (QSEHRA) or Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)\nQualifying events can be complicated and vary from state to state; check with your employer or visit your state's Marketplace to confirm what is considered a qualifying event. In most cases, you'll need to provide proof of the qualifying event, such as your marriage license or your new baby's birth certificate. END