<prompt> Human: I dont consider myself to be the smartest guy in the world, but Im certainly not a dumbass. Im a college educated computer programmer who got a job last summer making 65k. Im pretty lazyirresponsible sometimes. So what happened is, I was on my parents insurance, and I turned 26 in December. My parents told me to take off my employers insurance so I could save some money from being taken off each paycheck until I turned 26. Little did I know, December was the open enrollment period for Obamacare. So now I have no insurance since my parents insurance ran out, and I dont have my employers insurance since I told them to take it off when I started the job. What am I supposed to do? It looks like I have to get some short-term insurance for a year, and pay the penalty until I can enroll next year? Im not sure I see how the affordable care act has helped me personally, although it probably has helped a lot of people in worse situations that myself. Can someone explain the reasoning behind these silly dates? Im totally willing to pay for insurance but so far Ive had no luck on websites telling me Im ineligible. I also cringe at the thought of paying 2.5 of my income just because I missed a narrow window to get insurance. Any help would be appreciated, I need a new eyeglass prescription and currently am uninsured. Ive always been bad at keeping track of dates and such, and it just seems like a really bad idea to hold the entire nation to HAVE to sign up for insurance during the month of December ONLY.. or else be penalized..Thanks  <response>: Ive always been bad at keeping track of dates and such, and it just seems like a really bad idea to hold the entire nation to HAVE to sign up for insurance during the month of December ONLY.. or else be penalized.a Open enrollment periods, which are almost always in Oct-Dec, have been a feature of employer-sponsored health insurance for a long long time. Well before Obamacare.b you havewant employer-sponsored insurance through your company. Thats not Obamacare.c Welcome to adulthood. Youre responsible for your life and your decisions. Youre required to educate yourself on the consequences of your actions. With all that said, your loss of coverage might be a qualifying life event that would entitle you to enroll. But if you turned 26 before the end of open enrollment which, frankly, I cant figure out because your post is a little incoherent on dates, you might be out of luck. 