Your insurance will enter a grace period if you miss a monthly premium payment. A grace period will give you time to catch up on your payments. If you don’t catch up on payments during your grace period, your insurance will end. If you have a Vermont Health Connect qualified health plan and don't get financial help, your grace period will last for one month.
Your grace period will start as soon as you miss a monthly premium payment due date. Premium payments are due the last day of each month. If you start a grace period, your health insurance company will send you a letter to let you know.
To end a grace period, you must pay your overdue balance in full, plus the current premium that is due.
Your grace period will be shorter if you have a qualified health plan and don’t get financial help than it will be if you do get financial help. This is also true for adult dental plans. This page gives you information about grace periods without financial help. You can also visit our page for grace periods with financial help. If you’re not sure if you get financial help, check your monthly invoice from your insurance company, or call Vermont Health Connect at 1-855-899-9600 to check.
If you pay full price for your health insurance:
- Your grace period will last one month.
- Month 1: When you miss your first monthly payment due date, you enter your grace period. During this month, you can still use your insurance.
- Month 2: If you miss your second monthly payment due date without paying everything you owe, your insurance will end. The end date will be the last day of the first month you didn’t pay.
- Your insurance will end even if you make a partial payment—you must pay everything you owe, including the current month’s bill, to close a grace period.
In many cases, you can’t start your insurance again once it ends. However, if you had a qualified health plan and didn't get financial help, you can ask your insurance company to reinstate your insurance one time per year. To get reinstated, you must ask for reinstatement and pay everything you owe by the fifteenth day of the second month after your termination date. For example, if your insurance ends on March 31, you must ask for reinstatement and pay all your premiums by May 15 to get reinstated.
If your insurance ends and you don't get a reinstatement, you may have to wait until you have a qualifying event, or Vermont Health Connect has an Open Enrollment period, to get health insurance.