2016 Open Enrollment Period
March 18, 2015
On Feb. 20, 2015, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced that the 2016 Open Enrollment Period for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act will be Nov. 1, 2015, through Jan. 31, 2016.
All private health plans share these Marketplace OEP dates. Employer-based coverage, Medicaid and Medicare have separate enrollment periods.
The individual’s date of enrollment will determine the start date for coverage as follows:
| Member enrolls | Effective date of coverage is |
|---|---|
| Nov. 1, 2015 to Dec. 15, 2015 | Jan. 1, 2016 |
| Dec. 16, 2015 to Jan. 15, 2016 | Feb. 1, 2016 |
| Jan. 16, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2016 | March 1, 2016 |
Under the Affordable Care Act, most individuals must have minimum essential coverage to avoid the individual mandate penalty, also known as the shared responsibility payment.
For more information, go to Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2016.
The information in this document is based on preliminary review of the national health care reform legislation and is not intended to impart legal advice. The federal government continues to issue guidance on how the provisions of national health reform should be interpreted and applied. The impact of these reforms on individual situations may vary. This overview is intended as an educational tool only and does not replace a more rigorous review of the law’s applicability to individual circumstances and attendant legal counsel and should not be relied upon as legal or compliance advice. As required by US Treasury Regulations, we also inform you that any tax information contained in this communication is not intended to be used and cannot be used by any taxpayer to avoid penalties under the Internal Revenue Code.