Skip to main content

Clients Must Cancel Current Coverage When Moving to a New State

Dec. 31, 2025

Applies to Individual & Family Markets

Qualified health and dental plans under the Affordable Care Act are specific to a client’s state of residence. When clients move to a new state, they must cancel their current health plan before enrolling in a new one. Failing to manually cancel the old policy can cause missed deadlines or delay effectuation of new coverage.

If Client Is Moving to Illinois, they should

  • Report the move: Log in to healthcare.gov  (or their state-based exchange if applicable) and update their application with their new address.
  • Cancel the old policy: Coverage does not transfer between states. The client must officially cancel their plan.
  • Apply for a new policy: Once they have updated their address, log into Get Covered IllinoisSM  and submit an application for their new home state.

If Client Is Moving from Illinois, they should

  • Report the move: Log in to Get Covered Illinois  and update their application with their new address.
  • Cancel the old policy: Coverage does not transfer between states. The client must officially cancel their plan.
  • Apply for a new policy: Once they have updated their address, log in to healthcare.gov  and submit an application for their new home state.

Why it matters: Completing these steps ensures your clients experience a smooth transition when moving to a new state. Updating their address and applying for coverage through the correct site (whether healthcare.gov or a state-based exchange portal when applicable) and cancelling their old plan helps avoid delays, confusion and potential loss of coverage if the Special Enrollment Period deadline is missed.