January 24, 2011 13:57 ET

Open Enrollment Periods for Child-Only Health Insurance Policies Ending Soon

Many States Have Enacted Open Enrollment Periods for Child-Only Policies and Many Will Close at the End of January Reports GoHealthInsurance.com

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - January 24, 2011) - GoHealthInsurance.com, an online exchange for individuals and families, is advising parents to start looking for child-only policies for children in states with open enrollment periods.

Open enrollment for child health insurance plans will end on January 31, 2011 in the following states: Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Kentucky and Maryland will continue to hold the open enrollment periods, but only during one month per year. In addition, open enrollment periods for children's plans in California and Massachusetts end at the end of February. In some states, health insurance companies are not required to offer child-only policies.

"Open enrollment periods are designed to offer policyholders a way to purchase a guaranteed-issue health insurance plan. For children, that period is expiring at the end of this month in several states, so parents should compare their options very soon," said Michael Mahoney, the Vice President of Consumer Marketing at GoHealthInsurance.com.

"After the enrollment period ends, a good option for parents is to buy a family health insurance policy and add their child as a dependant," added Mahoney.

Wen the open enrollment ends, children may not be guaranteed coverage. That's why consumers are urged to talk to a licensed health insurance agent about their family's and children's health care needs to evaluate their options. Consumers can talk to expert agents at GoHealthInsurance.com.