Special Events Enrollment

Under the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996, there are two additional special events, which may allow the employee to add health insurance coverage if an employee has not elected health insurance coverage during the initial eligibility period or during open enrollment:
 
  • If an employee gets married and has opted out of health insurance, the employee may enroll in a health insurance plan and add the new spouse.
  • The second special event is the birth or adoption of a child, where the employee has opted out of health insurance, at which time the employee may add a health insurance plan and add the child.
In order to add a health insurance plan for either of the above special events, the employee must complete an enrollment form within 31 days of the event.  The provisions of HIPAA apply only to health insurance.