Covered California
Deadline
General Health Application Deadline Last Day of the Month
Deadline for Coverage Starting the Next Month.
For most qualifying life events, your coverage will begin on the first day of the following month after selecting a plan.
How to Apply
Applying is easy. You can contact us on our website or get free, confidential help over the phone.
Covered California and Medi-Cal share the same application.
This means that you'll find out which program you qualify for upon applying. Some households may qualify for both programs.
There are two specific times of the year when you can enroll in the Covered California Application and make changes to your plan:
Open Enrollment and Special Enrollment. During these periods, various requirements and deadlines may be in effect.
Open Enrollment Period
You’re in luck! Open enrollment for individual and family health insurance is available to almost everyone at this time if you have a special event. To ensure that you meet the necessary deadlines, be sure to check out the dates for this year’s open enrollment period, which can be found at
General Deadlines
July 15th for a August 1st effective date
August 1st for a September 1st effective date
Special Enrollment Qualifying Events
To enroll during the special enrollment period you are required to have a qualifying life event occurring within the last 60 days. Deadlines will vary by life event. Here is a list of the most common life events with corresponding deadlines.
You can qualify for special enrollment if you have lost or will soon lose Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) health insurance. To be eligible, you must not have voluntarily lost your coverage. This means that if your coverage was cancelled because you were unable to pay for it, you do not qualify. However, if you had employer-sponsored coverage and lost your job, you likely also lost your coverage. In this case, you qualify and can enroll in a plan. New and existing consumers who involuntarily lose MEC will have a unique 120-day special enrollment period in which they can apply - up to 60 days before and 60 days after the loss event date.
Another common example is someone who loses their Medi-Cal coverage. If you have been on Medi-Cal for a while and then receive a raise or start working more hours that push you above the income threshold for Medi-Cal and it's canceled, you would qualify for special enrollment.
Additional examples include:
- COBRA coverage expires (cannot be for non-payment)
- You are no longer eligible for student health coverage
- You no longer qualify for a family plan because you turned 26
- You no longer qualify for a child-only plan because you turned 19
Rest assured that if you meet the requirements, you can take advantage of special enrollment and get the necessary coverage.
If you've moved to California from another state in the last 60 days, you're in luck! You qualify for special enrollment.
If you've moved within California from one residence to another, you might qualify for special enrollment. To find out, check if there's at least one Covered CA plan available to you at your new address that wasn't available to you before.
Don't worry if you haven't had prior coverage - consumers with this type of life event are not required to have it in order to qualify for special enrollment.
If you recently had a baby, adopted a child, or received a child into foster care within the last 60 days, your entire family is eligible for special enrollment!
Additionally, you qualify for special enrollment if your child was placed for adoption or foster care.
Just a friendly reminder: if your qualifying event involves foster care, please select “adopted a child”.
Congratulations on getting married recently! You and your spouse may be eligible for special enrollment, which allows you to purchase a health plan.
If you recently got into a legally recognized domestic partnership within the last 60 days, we have some good news for you! You and your partner are eligible for special enrollment, so you can purchase a health plan together.
If you happen to have lost coverage in the last 60 days due to leaving active duty, reserve duty, or the California National Guard, don't worry! You actually qualify for a special enrollment and can purchase a health plan. We've got you covered!
If you were released from jail or prison in the past 60 days, we have some good news for you. You are eligible for special enrollment and can purchase a health plan. Let us help you get started on your journey toward better health!
Congratulations! You've become a citizen, national, or permanent legal resident of the U.S. in the last 60 days; we've got some good news for you. You're eligible for special enrollment, which means you can purchase a health plan.
If you're an American Indian/Alaska Native and a member of a federally recognized tribe, you're welcome to enroll at any time throughout the year, no matter the enrollment period. You also have the option to change health plans up to once a month. Let us know if you have any questions or need any assistance!
If none of the events listed above apply to you, don't worry! You may still be able to select “Other Qualifying Life Event” if:
- You currently have a Covered California plan and become eligible or ineligible for cost-sharing reductions or tax credits.
- during enrollment, there was misconduct or misinformation on the part of your authorized representative, or incorrect eligibility or plan information was provided.
- Technical issues on Covered California’s website affected your enrollment.
- Your health plan violated its contract.
- You experienced a natural disaster or medical emergency near the open enrollment deadline.
- Health and Human Services issued you a certificate of exemption, but you lost the exemption outside of open enrollment.
- A child you’ve been ordered to provide insurance for is ineligible for Medi-Cal and CHIP, regardless of whether or not you plan to claim the child on your taxes.
- You entered or ended AmeriCorps/VISTA/National Civilian Community Corps outside of an open enrollment period.
- You’re currently on a “grandfathered” or “non-grandfathered” plan outside of Covered California, and your plan is set to renew outside of open enrollment, but you would like to switch to a Covered California plan instead.
- your provider left the network while you were being treated for any of the following:
- pregnancy
- terminal illness
- an acute condition
- a serious chronic condition
- the care of a newborn between 0 and 36 months
- surgery or other procedure that will occur within 180 days of the termination or start date.
No worries if you don't see a qualifying life event (QLE) listed above! You can still apply for Medi-Cal or the Medi-Cal Access Program (MCAP) for pregnant women based on your income and family size. The best part is that you can apply anytime, regardless of enrollment periods. We'll review your application to see if you're eligible for these programs, no matter which qualifying event you select. Thanks for considering us!
Effective Dates
Just a friendly reminder that Covered California deadlines are closely connected to the effective date of your insurance. We suggest that you work backward. First, find out when you need your insurance to start, and then plan around the corresponding application deadline date. If you don’t have a qualifying life event to apply mid-year, don’t worry! You can plan around the next open enrollment period.
If you're applying at the last minute, here's what you can expect:
When you submit your application to the insurance company, it is important to note that it may take some time for your policy to be issued. However, rest assured that the company will still process your application and get back to you within ten or more business days. Once your policy is ready, the insurance company will mail you an insurance card. This card will serve as proof of your insurance coverage, and you should keep it in a safe place. Additionally, you will have the option to create an account on the insurance company’s website. By doing so, you can access and manage all your billing information, such as updating your credit card or setting up automatic payments. Another benefit of creating an account is that you can monitor any doctor’s visits or service charges covered by your policy. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team is always here to help you every step of the way.
