In most states, you only have six weeks to make a decision on an individual health insurance or Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges plan.
You can sign up for health insurance on your state's health insurance exchange or individual marketplace only during an annual open enrollment period, unless you have a "qualifying life event," such as getting married or having a baby.
If you buy health insurance through your workplace, your employer will inform you about its open enrollment period. The information below is for people buying health insurance on their own.
If you're buying health insurance on your own, you have several options for purchasing a policy: