State RegulationsNY specificDifficulty 2/5
A New Yorker is laid off in the middle of the year and loses her employer-sponsored health coverage. Under the Affordable Care Act, what allows her to buy exchange coverage outside the annual open enrollment period?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why D is correct
Under the Affordable Care Act, losing employer-sponsored coverage is a qualifying life event that opens a special enrollment period, letting the person buy exchange coverage mid-year without waiting for the annual open enrollment period. Marriage, the birth or adoption of a child, and certain moves work the same way. No waiver purchase is involved, and the right flows from the event itself rather than from any ad hoc discretion.
Why the other options are wrong
- A) She need not wait; loss of coverage is a qualifying event that opens a special enrollment period.
- B) No waiver is sold for this purpose; the right arises automatically from the qualifying event.
- C) Special enrollment is a rules-based right tied to listed life events, not an ad hoc hardship discretion.
Memory hook
Lose your coverage, gain a special enrollment period.