A qualifying life event can open a Special Enrollment Period to get or change Health Insurance Marketplace (ACA) coverage outside Open Enrollment. Here's exactly what applies when a death in the household ends your coverage.
Quick answer: If someone on your plan dies and that causes you to lose your health coverage, you get a Special Enrollment Period. You have 60 days from the date you lose the coverage to enroll in a Marketplace plan.
Enroll in your own Marketplace plan and apply for premium tax credits based on your updated household income and size. A change in household from a death can change the amount of premium help you qualify for.
Coverage generally starts the first day of the month after you pick a plan. After enrolling you may have 30 days to send documents confirming the loss of coverage.
People who lose their health coverage because a member of their household or the primary policyholder passed away. If the death does not end your own coverage, this particular SEP does not apply — but other life changes may.
The official HealthCare.gov screener walks through your situation in a few questions and tells you if a Special Enrollment Period is open — free, no obligation.
Check on HealthCare.gov →If your spouse's death causes you to lose your health coverage — for instance, a plan that was in their name — you have a 60-day Special Enrollment Period from the date the coverage ends to enroll in a Marketplace plan.
The Marketplace may ask for proof of the coverage loss within 30 days of picking a plan, such as a letter ending the prior plan. Follow the specific document request your Marketplace shows after you enroll.
Use the free tools to organize your records and confirm details against current official documents.
See the ACA Health Agent Tracker for free →These windows are based on U.S. government Health Insurance Marketplace rules: