Herring to Virginians: You may qualify for special enrollment period for health insurance

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring is urging Virginians who have lost or could lose their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate their insurance options to make sure that they remain covered.

Those who have lost or could lose their employer-sponsored healthcare coverage because of job-loss due to the pandemic could qualify for health insurance coverage through a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov.

“Unfortunately, one result of the COVID19 pandemic has been an exponential increase in job loss in Virginia and around the country, which means that tens of thousands of people are also losing their healthcare coverage,” said Herring. “I would encourage any Virginian who has lost their job or could lose their job because of the COVID19 crisis to look on HealthCare.Gov and see if they are eligible for a special enrollment period. Having healthcare coverage during a public health crisis is more critical than ever, not just for your own health and safety but for the health and safety of your families and communities as well.”

If you or someone else in your household has lost employer-sponsored healthcare coverage either in the last 60 days or expects to lose coverage in the next 60 days you may qualify for the special enrollment. Financial assistance may be available for Virginians to help reduce or possibly eliminate out of pocket payments for premiums.