Returning Home from Jail or Prison?
Health coverage for Justice Involved Citizens
If you’re incarcerated, you can’t buy a Marketplace plan. Once you’re released, you can use the Marketplace to get health coverage.
For the Marketplace, “incarcerated” means serving a term in prison or jail.
You’re not incarcerated if you’re:
- On probation, parole, or house arrest — living at home, in a residential facility, or halfway house (under supervision of the criminal justice system or voluntarily).
- In jail or prison pending disposition of charges (being held but not convicted of a crime).
After release from incarceration
“Once released, you have a 60-day Special Enrollment Period“
to apply for and select a plan for Marketplace coverage. When you apply for health coverage, you might qualify for lower costs on monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
If you plan to file taxes with your spouse or another household member who already has Marketplace coverage, they can update their application to add you to their plan.