Your move is one of the few life events that lets you enroll any time of year — but the clock starts ticking and your old plan won't cover routine care here. Philip Smith gets your Florida coverage lined up so there's no gap between your old plan ending and your new one starting. Free, no pressure.
A permanent move to a new state — or a new Florida ZIP with different plan options — opens a Special Enrollment Period. You don't have to wait for Open Enrollment to get covered.
The window generally runs 60 days from your move date. Some plans let you apply up to 60 days before you move, so your Florida coverage starts the day you arrive with no gap.
Your old plan almost certainly doesn't work here, and networks change by county. Philip pulls the exact carriers and plans available at your new Florida address.
Florida has one of the largest ACA marketplaces in the country — about 2.7 million enrollees — with strong subsidy availability. Coming from a state with its own exchange or expanded Medicaid, the rules here can feel different: Florida uses the federal marketplace and did not expand Medicaid.
Florida Blue is the dominant carrier and runs the only statewide PPO in the individual market, alongside options from UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, and Ambetter depending on your county.
Yes. A permanent move to a new state, or to a new area within Florida that has different health plans available, is a qualifying life event that opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period. You'll typically need to show you had qualifying coverage for at least one day in the 60 days before your move (a few exceptions apply, like moving from outside the U.S.). This means you can enroll in a Florida marketplace plan now instead of waiting until Open Enrollment in November.
Almost never for routine care. Individual health plans are tied to your home state and local networks, so an out-of-state plan usually only covers emergencies in Florida — not regular doctor visits, specialists, or prescriptions. You'll want to enroll in a Florida-based plan (or, if you split time between states, a nationwide PPO). Philip will confirm what your current plan covers in Florida and set up the right replacement before your old coverage lapses.
Plan the timing. Because you can often apply up to 60 days before your move, the cleanest approach is to line up your Florida plan to start the first of the month you arrive, right as your old coverage ends. If your move already happened, you still have 60 days from the move date — but the sooner you enroll, the sooner your new coverage can begin (usually the first of the following month). Philip maps the dates so you're never uninsured in between.
If Florida is your primary, permanent residence, you enroll in a Florida plan. If you truly split the year between two states, a nationwide PPO (with a Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueCard network) or, for those 65+, a Medicare Supplement plan keeps you covered in both places at in-network rates. See our Florida snowbird guide, or have Philip determine which applies based on where you're actually a resident.
Philip Smith · Licensed Independent Insurance Broker
NPN #22255420 · Licensed in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia & Ohio · Welcome to Florida. Philip helps new residents get the right plan for their new ZIP code with no coverage gap — free, and he knows the local carrier and network landscape.
Philip compares specific PPO, HMO, and EPO plans from 22+ carriers based on your doctors, budget, and ZIP code — in one free call.
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