Before the legislature passed and Washington voters approved marriage equality, our state’s same-sex couples could enter a “domestic partnership”. On June 30th, domestic partnerships that had yet to be converted to marriages were automatically switched.
This conversion is important for a number of reasons, including health care coverage.
In order to accommodate couples who find themselves newlyweds, Washington Healthplanfinder has announced a special enrollment period. According to Healthplanfinder, “The 60-day enrollment window provides these couples with a unique opportunity to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan before the next enrollment period that starts on Nov. 15, 2014.”
Last month, our state’s online health insurance marketplace announced a similar special enrollment period for recent graduates. Graduation and marriage are both categorized as a “qualifying life event”. Other qualifying life events include having a baby, adoption, relocation and loss of a job.
To learn more about special enrollment periods and to see if you qualify, click here.