Special Enrollment Period for Medicaid and CHIP Unwinding

February 16, 2023

Special Enrollment Period for Medicaid and CHIP Unwinding

MOBILE, Ala. — The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) is announcing a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for qualified individuals and their families who lose Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage because of the end of the continuous enrollment condition, also known as “unwinding.”

This SEP, going forward referred to as the “Unwinding SEP,” will allow individuals and families in Marketplaces served by HealthCare.gov to enroll in Marketplace health insurance coverage outside of the annual open enrollment period. CMS will update HealthCare.gov so that Marketplace-eligible consumers who submit a new application or update an existing application between March 31, 2023, and July 31, 2024 — and attest to a last date of Medicaid or CHIP coverage within the same time period — are eligible for an Unwinding SEP.

Consumers who are eligible for the Unwinding SEP will have 60 days after they submit their application to select a Marketplace plan with coverage that starts the first day of the month after they select a plan.

The Mobile County Health Department and Family Health, its primary care division, have Certified Application Counselors ready to assist. The counselors are able to help consumers as they look for health coverage options through the Health Insurance Exchange. They assisted 2,343 clients during the Open Enrollment Period that ended January 15. Assistance by the Certified Application Counselors is free to consumers.

Certified Application Counselors can be found at all Family Health centers conveniently located throughout Mobile County. To make an appointment, please call the Family Health center located closest to you. For a list of sites, you may visit https://mchd.org/family-health/#locations or call 251-690-8964.

Visit https://www.cms.gov/technical-assistance-resources/temp-sep-unwinding-faq.pdf/ to learn more about this Unwinding SEP.