Displaced by wildfires, disasters
Oregon is currently facing far more evacuations and displacements than recorded history has shown. As such, many Oregonians applying for coverage through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicare plans must take note of how to accurately report their address on the application.
It is important for those displaced by wildfires to be aware of how and where they may retrieve their mail. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued information about relocated operations due to wildfires.
Use current address
When completing the Marketplace application, consumers should use their current address, based on where they intend to reside.
- If they have not officially moved, they may continue to use the address where they intend to reside.
- If they are displaced because they no longer have a permanent address, they may select that they do not have a permanent physical address and provide a mailing address for contact purposes.
- It should not be necessary to provide proof of address.
- Current enrollees should update their current address, if their permanent address has changed. Plan options may be different if they are residing in a new area.
Marketplace enrollment due to national emergency, major disaster
Oregonians affected by the wildfires can use the federal emergency declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to take advantage of an exceptional circumstances special enrollment period (SEP). FEMA has issued emergency declarations for Oregon wildfires in 2021. See if you're affected by an emergency declaration on the FEMA website.
Oregonians will have up to 60 days from the end of the FEMA-designated incident period to select a new health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov or make changes to their existing health insurance plan. People who experienced a life change are eligible for a standard special enrollment period that allows them to sign up for a plan 60 days before or 60 days after their life change to enroll in a plan. Examples of a life change include loss of coverage due to loss of employment, marriage, addition of a new family member, gaining lawful immigration status, and moving homes.
Oregonians who were eligible for a standard special enrollment period, but missed this window due to the Oregon wildfires, can use the FEMA SEP to enroll in a plan. Applications are being accepted at HealthCare.gov if the life change is a loss in coverage and at 800-318-2596 (toll-free) for all other life changes.
- The FEMA SEP due to the Oregon wildfires is available for people who qualified for a special enrollment period from the initiation of a FEMA emergency declaration through up to 60 days after the FEMA emergency has ended.
- The FEMA SEP due to COVID-19 is available for people who qualified for a special enrollment period from Jan. 1, 2020, through up to 60 days after the national public health emergency has ended. The current national declaration is set to end in late October.
For more information, visit
HealthCare.gov/SEP-List.
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