Changing insurance outside of open enrollment to get an HSA

[sweetlenovo88]

I buy insurance just for myself as a contractor through the marketplace/obamacare and realized that the "gold" plan does not offer the HSA option which I was hoping to use for the tax benefits. I want to switch to a plan that does but do not qualify for special enrollment. Can I cancel for a month, pay the penalty for that month on my taxes next year and reenroll with a different plan? I do not mind the risk of going bare for a month as I have not used the health yet since buying it a year ago. Or switch my address to my parents in a different state and then switch back?

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[bc65]

I would not go bare for even a day.
You never know what that car accident will happen or the aneurysm will blow.

I don't know much about how the marketplaces work, so I'm not sure it's a possibility, but could you just buy your insurance right now directly from a broker or the insurance company? Try going that route and see what they say. If that won't work, just wait until next year. It's just not worth the risk of not having insurance to get a few more dollars into an HSA.

I assume that you maxed out a solo 401k and that you contributed to a backdoor Roth?

 

[sweetlenovo88]

Yes to both. I was able to figure this problem out today. I am between two addresses within my city and changing the address qualified me for a special enrollment period. I was able to switch to an HSA bronze plan . Unfortunately that plan has no coverage until the 6000 deductible is met but I only need catastrophic coverage at this point