Deadlines Calendar
Every Health Coverage Deadline a Utah Student Needs to Know
Coverage runs on windows, and missing one can mean months uninsured. This is the one-page calendar: the annual dates that never move, the life-event windows that start when your life changes, and the campus deadlines to look up.
The Annual Dates
Fixed dates — the same every year
November 1
ACA Open Enrollment begins
The one time each year anyone can enroll in or switch Marketplace plans, no life event required.
December 15
Deadline for January 1 coverage
Enroll by this date and your new plan starts with the new year.
January 15
Open Enrollment ends
Enrolling December 16 – January 15 gives you a February 1 start. After this, you need a qualifying life event.
December 31
Marketplace dependent year-end
If you're on a parent's Marketplace plan and turned 26 this year, this is your last covered day — plan your own enrollment during Open Enrollment.
Year-round
Utah Medicaid
No window at all — if your income qualifies (roughly under 138% of the federal poverty level), you can apply any day of the year.
Life-Event Windows
Clocks that start when your life changes
| Event | Window | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Turning 26 (losing a parent's plan) | 60 days before + 60 days after the loss | Enroll before the loss for a gapless start. Parent's employer plans usually end with your birthday month. |
| Getting married | 60 days from the marriage | One spouse generally needs prior coverage in the previous 60 days. Joint income = new subsidy math. |
| Having a baby | 60 days from the birth | Coverage can be backdated to the birth date. A newborn can join your plan or Medicaid — not a grandparent's plan. |
| Returning from a mission abroad | 60 days from your return | Moving back to the U.S. qualifies on its own — no prior-coverage requirement. |
| Losing any coverage (student plan ends, job loss, Medicaid ends) | 60 days before + 60 days after | Includes graduation-related student-plan endings and income-related Medicaid exits. |
| Moving to a new coverage area | 60 days from the move | Generally requires prior coverage (unless moving from abroad). Applies to moving to Utah for school or leaving for a job. |
| Rejoining a parent's employer plan (e.g., after a mission) | Often only 30 days | Employer special-enrollment windows are shorter than Marketplace ones — have your parents ask HR early. |
The details behind each event: Special Enrollment Period guide
Campus Deadlines
The dates your school controls
If your school offers or requires a student health plan, it sets its own enrollment and waiver deadlines — usually near the start of each semester, and they don't always line up with the Marketplace calendar. The waiver process (proving you have other qualifying coverage) typically has a hard cutoff early in the term.
We can't publish those dates here because each school sets and changes its own. Two rules of thumb: check your student portal for 'health insurance waiver' deadlines the same week you register for classes, and if you're switching to a Marketplace plan or Medicaid, have it active before the waiver deadline so your proof of coverage is ready.
Not sure which window applies to you?
Tell us what's changing — birthday, wedding, graduation, homecoming — and we'll map your exact dates and handle the enrollment inside the window. Free, and you pay the same premium as doing it alone.