Individual open enrollment through the state and federal exchanges ended on March 31, 2014. If you missed out on signing up for coverage, you might be wondering: “What can I do to get benefits?” or “Am I left without options?”

The good news is that you do have some options. Even though ACA individual open enrollment for this year has closed, there are still some health care doors you can knock on. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Do I qualify for a special enrollment period?

Qualifying events (like marriage or birth of a child) or certain other extenuating circumstances can make you eligible for a special enrollment period. In this instance, you can apply for a special enrollment period and if it’s approved, you’ll be able to enroll through your state or federal exchange. Even better: you may be eligible for a subsidy.

Do I (or my children) qualify for Medicaid?

Enrollment in Medicaid is available anytime throughout the year. If you meet the requirements for Medicaid, you can start your enrollment right away. If you’re looking to find benefits for your child(ren), you can look into qualifying for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The same applies here: if you qualify, you can enroll at anytime during the year.

Am I willing to consider purchasing off exchange?

Insurance carriers are required to offer the same level of benefits off exchange that appear on exchange. What that means is you may find ACA-approved medical and dental plans off the exchange. However, you will not be able to apply your subsidy to these purchases and they might not prevent you from getting charged a personal penalty. The pros to this option: you’ll have insurance coverage for you and/or your family.

Don’t forget: if you don’t meet your minimum essential coverage, you might be facing a fee so mark your calendars for 2015 and don’t miss out on the Open Enrollment period next year.

The information in this blog is based on Solstice's review of the national health care reform legislation and is not intended to provide legal advice. While we make every effort to present and update accurate information, interpretations of the reform legislation vary. The overviews provided here are intended as an educational tool only and should not be relied upon as legal or compliance advice.