My husband and I are retired and spend 6 months of the year in Florida. Can we get a special enrollment opportunity to enroll in a new plan when we move to Florida, even though we’ll only be there for half the year?

Most likely. If you have the “intent to reside” in Florida for six months, the Marketplace does not consider it a “temporary absence” from your home state. Because you will be there for at least an “entire season or other long period of time,” you may be eligible to enroll in the Marketplace in Florida under a permanent move special enrollment period as long as you had coverage for at least one day in the 60 days prior to your move. Make sure to discontinue your previous health plan with the Marketplace and the insurer each time you move so you won’t owe two premium payments. (45 C.F.R. § 155.420; CMS, FAQs on Marketplace Residency Requirement and Special Enrollment due to a Permanent Move, Jan. 19, 2016; CMS, Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) Information.)