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 you make a permanent move.
Quick answer: A permanent move that gives you access to new Marketplace plans opens a Special Enrollment Period. You have 60 days from your move to enroll — but you generally must have had qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before you moved.
Enroll in a Marketplace plan offered where you now live and apply for premium tax credits based on your income. A move only qualifies if it actually changes the plans or premiums available to you — a move to a new address with the exact same plans may not trigger an SEP.
Coverage typically starts the first day of the month after you pick a plan. On the Federal Marketplace you generally are not required to submit documents to confirm a permanent-move SEP, though your Marketplace may still ask.
People who move to a new home in a new area — across state lines, to a new county, or to a new ZIP code — where different Marketplace plans are offered. A move only for medical treatment or a temporary stay (like vacation) does not count as a permanent move.
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 →A permanent move to a new state or county that changes the Marketplace plans available to you opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period. On the Federal Marketplace you generally must also have had qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before the move — unless you moved from a foreign country or U.S. territory.
For a Federal-Marketplace move SEP you usually need to have had qualifying coverage for at least one day during the 60 days before you moved. The exception is moving from a foreign country or a U.S. territory, where prior coverage is not required. Other life events (like losing coverage) may open a separate window if the move alone doesn't qualify.
Special Enrollment Periods are short and event-driven — miss a client's 60-day window and they wait until Open Enrollment. A dated SEP log is the difference between a written app and a lost lead. This page is free to share. The ACA Health Agent Tracker ($29, Excel + Google Sheets) gives you a ready-made book of business to log every member's qualifying event, deadline, and PMPM; the Agency-in-a-Box bundles it with the full CRM and compliance logs.
See the ACA Health Agent Tracker on Etsy →These windows are based on U.S. government Health Insurance Marketplace rules: