After open enrollment ends, people can only purchase coverage if they have a special enrollment period triggered by a qualifying event such as:
Marriage (since 2017, this generally only applies if at least one spouse already had coverage before the wedding, although there are some exceptions),
Becoming a U.S. citizen,
Birth or adoption,
Involuntary loss of other health coverage (this allows people to select a new plan in the first two months of the year if their insurer left the market at the end of the previous year; see details below).
A permanent move to an area where new health plans are available (since July 11, 2016, this only applies in most cases if you already had coverage prior to your move).
Here’s a full list of qualifying events and their associated special enrollment periods.
Regardless of whether you purchase insurance through the exchange or off-exchange, the annual open enrollment window applies, and special enrollment periods are necessary in order to enroll at any other time of the year. Nevada is an exception – coverage is available there outside the exchange year-round, albeit without subsidies and with a 90-day waiting period before coverage becomes effective.
In 2016, HHS tightened up the rules regarding eligibility for special enrollment periods, and they further tightened the rules in 2017, as part of the market stabilization rule. As a result, the rules are being followed much more closely than they were in previous years, and in most states, anyone enrolling during a special enrollment period is required to provide proof of the qualifying event that they experienced
Source: https://www.healthinsurance.org/faqs/what-are-the-deadlines-for-obamacares-open-enrollment-period/#QLE
Follow us: @EyeOnInsurance on Twitter | healthinsurance.org on Facebook