Futures Without Violence, a national domestic violence organization, recently featured some changes to the health care law on their blog that relate to survivors of domestic violence. The law now allows anyone who has experienced domestic violence to enroll in coverage year-round, as opposed to during the short time window designated as “Open Enrollment.”
For those thinking about leaving an abusive relationship, this improvement to the law removes another barrier to exit.
“If at any point during the year, a survivor needs to purchase their health insurance, [he or] she should do the following:
- Call the healthcare.gov Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. (It’s important that the applicant call rather than apply online, because this is the only way to qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
- When speaking with the Call Center, be sure to use the phrase “survivor of domestic violence.” This will help them initiate the appropriate process.
- The Call Center will grant a Special Enrollment Period and the survivor will have 60 days to pick and enroll in a plan.”
You can read more about the change on Futures Without Violence’s blog.