Open Enrollment for health insurance coverage through Get Covered New Jersey, NJ’s Health Insurance Marketplace, happens once a year, from November 1 to January 31. If you want coverage to begin January 1, you must enroll by December 31. If you enroll in January, coverage will begin February 1.

The Open Enrollment period is typically the only time you can enroll in coverage through the Marketplace. If you have a qualifying life event, such as marriage, pregnancy, the birth of a baby, or adoption, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to enroll in coverage outside of Open Enrollment. Also, people at a certain income level can enroll throughout the year. SEPs also allow current enrollees to make plan changes.

8 in 10 people qualify for financial help! Get Covered NJ offers financial help to qualifying residents to help lower their monthly premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. New Jersey and the federal government are offering record levels of financial help to lower the cost of health insurance for most enrollees.

You can apply to NJ FamilyCare, the state’s publicly funded health insurance program, year-round. Who is eligible?

If NJ FamilyCare denies coverage to you, it is not considered to be a “qualifying life event” for Get Covered NJ coverage if the application is submitted after the Open Enrollment period has ended. If you are enrolled in NJ FamilyCare, and lose that coverage because you become ineligible, then you can enroll in Get Covered NJ. Losing other coverage counts as a “qualifying life event” which lets you enroll outside of the Open Enrollment period.