The 60-day special enrollment period, rule by rule

The special enrollment period is the reason a layoff in June doesn't mean uninsured until January. It has rules, and the 2027 regulatory environment enforces them more strictly — so here they are, precisely.

What counts as "losing coverage"

Involuntary loss of qualifying coverage: job loss or hour reduction that ends employer coverage (quit or fired both count), COBRA running out (not dropped by choice), aging off a parent's plan at 26, losing Medicaid or CHIP eligibility, a plan being discontinued, loss through divorce or a policyholder's death, and moving to a county with different plans (if you had coverage before the move).

What does not count

Voluntarily dropping a plan, losing a non-qualifying product (most short-term plans and health sharing ministries — a trap that surprises people at the worst moment), being canceled for nonpayment, or simply disliking your plan. No event, no SEP.

The clock, exactly

• 60 days before a known coverage end date: you can enroll early for a seamless start — pick a plan before the loss and new coverage begins the first day after old coverage ends.
• 60 days after the loss: you can still enroll; coverage generally starts the first of the month after you pick a plan. Every week of delay is potentially a week uninsured.
• Day 61: the window is closed. Genuinely closed.

Documentation: keep it before they ask

Expect to prove the event — enforcement tightened under the 2027 NBPP rule, and eligibility verification is stricter than it was in the loose years. [VERIFY AT BUILD: final NBPP verification requirements pending the June 2026 litigation.] Keep the termination letter or loss-of-coverage notice from the employer or insurer showing your name and end date. A screenshot costs nothing; a rejected application costs weeks.

One more door: Medicaid has no window

If the income disruption is severe, Medicaid enrollment is year-round — no SEP needed — and the enrollment flow screens for it automatically from your income estimate. Never assume you earn "too much" in a layoff year without checking; the estimate runs on this calendar year, not last year's W-2.