We're testing the use of star ratings for SHOP plans this year in several states and will use this test to improve the program.

If you get a notice from the Marketplace that says you need to send documents with your child’s date of birth to confirm that you’re eligible for a Special Enrollment Period, you need to send the Marketplace confirmation of the new child’s date of birth. Send a document for each new child, if there’s more than one, and your notice asks for documents for more than one person.

If you get a notice from the Marketplace saying you need to submit documents to confirm your loss of coverage, you can upload or mail documents. Find types of documents to submit.

If you get a notice from the Marketplace saying that you need to submit documents to confirm your marriage, you can upload or mail the Marketplace documents for the person (or people) on your application who got married in the past 60 days. If 2 people on your application got married to each other, you only need to submit one document that shows both of their names.

If you get a notice from the Marketplace saying you need to submit documents to confirm your move, you can upload or mail documents. Uploading is the fastest and most efficient way to get us the documents.

IMPORTANT: Upload or mail documents as soon as possible. If you don’t submit documents by the deadline, you won’t have Marketplace coverage.

Small employers who don’t offer group health coverage to their employees can help employees pay for medical expenses through a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA). If your employer offers you a QSEHRA, you can use it to help pay your household’s health care costs (like your monthly premium) for qualifying health coverage.

Family & household relationships

We need to know about everyone who is applying for health coverage and their relationships to each other.

We ask for your race, ethnicity, and preferred language so we can make sure everyone gets the same access to health care. This information is confidential, and it won’t be used to help decide what health programs people are eligible for. Providing your race and ethnicity is optional, so you don’t need to answer these questions to complete your application.

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide free or low-cost health coverage to millions of Americans. Medicaid and CHIP benefits vary somewhat between states.

These programs may also have different names in different states. Select your state below to see what the program is called in your state.

If you use advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) to reduce the cost of your Marketplace premiums, you must file a tax return to report these payments, even if you don't usually file taxes. When you (and the tax filers on your application) file your federal income tax returns, you must "reconcile" any premium tax credits that you used during the year.

You’ll be asked to define the relationships between the people on your application. When asked to define the relationship, you can choose from this list:

When you have certain life changes, like a move or a change in income, it’s important to report the change to the agency that provides your health coverage, like the Marketplace or your state Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agency. This helps make sure you’re getting the right coverage and amount of help paying for it.