Can I buy health insurance outside Open Enrollment?
Yes, in three main ways: a qualifying life event opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period for a marketplace plan; Medicaid and CHIP enroll eligible people year-round; and non-ACA products like short-term plans can be bought anytime but do not have to cover preexisting conditions or essential benefits. Without one of those doors, you generally wait for the next Open Enrollment (November 1 to January 15).
Last reviewed August 17, 2026 · Published August 17, 2026 · Mere Benefits Data Desk
The honest qualifier: “can I buy insurance” and “can I buy an ACA marketplace plan with subsidies” are different questions. The marketplace door outside Open Enrollment only opens with a qualifying life event, and simply realizing you are uninsured is not one. But the marketplace is not the only door, and depending on your income and situation, one of the year-round options may fit.
Your options outside Open Enrollment
| Option | When you can enroll | What to know for 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace plan via Special Enrollment Period | Within 60 days of a qualifying life event | Full ACA coverage; premium tax credits may apply based on household MAGI |
| Medicaid | Year-round, any day | Income-based; Florida has not expanded Medicaid, so most non-disabled adults without dependent children do not qualify |
| CHIP (Florida KidCare) | Year-round, any day | Covers children in families over the Medicaid line; premiums are modest |
| Short-term or other non-ACA products | Anytime | Not ACA coverage: medical underwriting, preexisting condition exclusions, and coverage limits may apply |
| Employer plan | At hire, at the employer’s annual enrollment, or after a qualifying event | Job-based coverage runs on its own calendar |
The Special Enrollment Period route
Qualifying life events include losing other coverage, marriage, divorce that ends your coverage, birth or adoption, a permanent move, losing Medicaid or CHIP, and aging off a parent’s plan at 26. Each opens a 60-day window, and a known loss of coverage can be reported up to 60 days ahead so the new plan starts without a gap. The marketplace may ask for documents proving the event, so respond quickly when it does.
Example: you move from Georgia to Jacksonville on May 10 and had coverage before the move. You have until July 9 to pick a Florida marketplace plan. Enroll in May, and coverage can start June 1.
The year-round doors and the fine print
Medicaid and CHIP have no enrollment season. If your income drops or a child needs coverage, you can apply any day of the year, and a later loss of that coverage is itself a qualifying event for a marketplace plan.
Short-term plans deserve a clear-eyed look. They are sold year-round and can bridge a brief gap, but they are not ACA plans: insurers may decline you based on health history, exclude preexisting conditions, cap benefits, and skip categories like maternity or mental health. Federal and state rules on their length have shifted several times, so check the current Florida rules before relying on one. As a bridge measured in weeks they may have a place, depending on your situation; as a substitute for real coverage they carry risk that usually shows up at the worst time.
Here’s what I tell clients who missed the window with no qualifying event: put the next Open Enrollment date on the calendar now, and in the meantime price a short-term bridge and a direct primary care membership honestly against the risk you are carrying, rather than assuming going bare is the only alternative.
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