News Center

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot every year by the end of October. Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu and its potentially serious complications. With Marketplace insurance, immunizations are a covered preventive care benefit. This means your flu shot is free from a provider in your plan's network.

3 ways the flu shot helps support healthy families

• It’s a simple way to protect yourself and your loved ones. Every year, the flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor visits.
• It helps protect people with certain chronic conditions, like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes from serious illness and hospitalization.
• Getting a flu shot during pregnancy helps provide protection during and after pregnancy. It also helps protect the baby from the flu for several months after birth.

Learn more about the benefits of getting a flu shot from the CDC.

Open Enrollment for 2023 coverage is around the corner and starts November 1. Here’s how you can connect with the Marketplace so you don’t miss deadlines, useful tips, and more.

Stay up-to-date with the Marketplace

• Subscribe to get email or text updates. Visit HealthCare.gov, and click “Sign Up” under “Get important news & updates.”
• Follow our social media channels. Find us on Twitter and Facebook for late-breaking news and important updates.
• Find trained help in your community. Enter your ZIP code for a list of groups and people near you. Some even offer help in languages other than English.

If you need 2023 health coverage, here are some important dates to mark on your calendar:

Key dates for Marketplace coverage

• Open Enrollment starts Tuesday, November 1.
• Enroll by Thursday, December 15, 2022 for coverage that starts January 1, 2023.
• Open Enrollment ends Sunday, January 15, 2023.

Looking for coverage for the rest of 2022?

• Find out if you can apply through a Special Enrollment Period.
• You can also enroll in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) any time, if you’re eligible. Coverage can begin immediately.

Get steps for how to apply and enroll.

Did you recently get a new job or have a baby? Changes to your expected income for 2022 or your household size may impact your health coverage options or amount of savings you qualify for. It’s important to let the Marketplace know immediately after you experience a change so you don’t miss out on new, better options or owe money when you file next year’s taxes.

Let the Marketplace know about these changes:

• Getting higher or lower income from when you applied
• Adding or losing household members, like through birth or adoption
• Getting offers of other health coverage, like someone in your household getting an offer of job-based insurance or becoming eligible for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or Medicare

Get the full list of changes to report.

How to report changes on your application

• Update your application online by following these steps
• Call us to speak to a representative who can help you update
• Find someone in your community who can work with you to make changes

Learn more about reporting income and household changes after you're enrolled.

There are 10 categories of services — called essential health benefits — that all private health insurance plans offered in the Health Insurance Marketplace® must cover.

What are the 10 essential health benefits?

• Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care you get without being admitted to a hospital)
• Emergency services
• Hospitalization (like surgery and overnight stays)
• Pregnancy and newborn care (both before and after birth)
• Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment, counseling, and psychotherapy
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
• Laboratory services
• Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
• Pediatric services, including oral and vision care (this doesn’t include adult dental or vision coverage)

What else does the Marketplace cover?

• Marketplace plans must also offer birth control and breastfeeding coverage.
• Some Marketplace plans may have dental and vision coverage too, but these benefits aren’t required.
• Call your plan to check if it covers a particular service.

Get more information on what Marketplace health insurance plans cover.

Congratulations on your new baby! How you’ll get coverage for your baby depends on your current insurance status.

If you don’t have health insurance:

• Having a baby qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period. This means you can enroll in or change 2022 Marketplace coverage. When you enroll in the new plan, your coverage can start the day your baby was born.
• Apply within 60 days after your baby’s birth. Your plan can cover you, your baby, and any other household members.
• It’s important to have access to health care services for both new parents and baby. With Marketplace coverage, you can get preventive benefits, like well-baby visits.
• Learn more about Special Enrollment Periods and how to apply.

If you have a Marketplace plan:

• You can keep your current plan and add your baby to your coverage.
• Update your Marketplace application within 60 days of your baby’s birth. Your coverage options and savings may change.
• You can create a separate enrollment group for your baby and enroll them in any plan for the rest of the year since having a baby qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period. (You can’t change plans, but you can select any plan available to your baby.)

If you have Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage:

• If you’re found eligible during your pregnancy, you’ll be covered for 60 days after you give birth.
• After 60 days, you may no longer qualify. Your state Medicaid or CHIP agency will notify you if your coverage is ending. You can enroll in a Marketplace plan during this time to avoid a break in coverage.

If you have Medicaid when you give birth, your baby is automatically enrolled in Medicaid coverage, and they’ll remain eligible for at least a year.

Get more information on your health coverage options if you're pregnant, plan to get pregnant, or recently gave birth.

Moving can be an exciting time. As you get ready for your move, it’s important to remember moving may impact your health insurance coverage options and savings. Don’t forget to update your application to get the best plan and right amount of savings available to you and your household in your new area.

Your next steps depend on where you move

When you move to a new state:

• You can’t keep the same plan from your old state. It’s important to let us know about out-of-state moves right away, so you don’t have a break in coverage and continue to pay for coverage that doesn’t apply in your new state.
• To get coverage in your new state, you need to start a new Marketplace application and enroll in a plan in your new state. How you apply depends on whether your new state uses HealthCare.gov or its own website.
• Apply for Marketplace coverage in your new state.

If you move within the same state:

• Your coverage options and savings probably won’t change based on your new address. But you should still let us know, so we know how to reach you.
• Here’s how to update your address online.

Learn more about how to make updates to your Marketplace coverage when your income or household changes.

Preventive services may help prevent illnesses, disease, and other health problems, or detect illness at an early stage when treatment is likely to work best. They’re free when you get care from an in-network provider. Here are some common benefits for all adults and children. Always ask your doctor what’s right for you.

Common benefits for all adults

• Blood pressure screenings
• Cancer screenings
• Cholesterol screening
• Diet counseling
• Immunizations

Get more preventive benefits for adults.

Common benefits for women & pregnant people

• Breast cancer mammography screenings
• Breastfeeding support and counseling
• Birth control
• Pap tests
• Well visits

Get more preventive benefits for women and pregnant people.

Common benefits for children

• Behavioral assessments
• Developmental screenings
• Immunizations
• Vision screening
• Well-baby and well-child visits

Get more preventive benefits for children.

Learn more about what else Marketplace health insurance plans cover.

Now that you have Marketplace health coverage, learn what you can do to stay healthy and get the care you need this summer.

3 ways to stay healthy this summer

• Find ways to get active. Take advantage of the warm weather by going for a jog, taking your dog for a walk, or gardening. Making time for physical activity can be fun and is crucial to good health.
• Get preventive care. Getting the preventive services that are right for you, like cancer screenings and shots, are key steps to maintaining your health and well-being. Preventive services are free when given by a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network.
• Find a doctor you can trust. Choosing the right provider is one of the most important decisions you’ll make about your health care. Learn about finding a doctor and getting regular medical care.

Get more information on using your health insurance plan to improve your health.

Congratulations graduates. As you enter your next chapter, don’t forget how important it is to have health insurance to protect you in case you get hurt or sick. Since you’re just starting out, you may qualify for savings that can make insurance less expensive.

3 health insurance options for young adults

• If you’re under 26, you may be able to enroll in a parent’s health insurance plan, if their plan covers dependents.
• If you experience certain life changes, like a move, or if your income is within a certain range, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in a Marketplace health plan for the rest of 2022.
• If you’re just starting out, you may qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid and, if you’re eligible, you can enroll immediately. When your income increases, you can adjust or change your coverage.

For more on the coverage options available to you at HealthCare.gov, get a quick overview of the Health Insurance Marketplace®.