I Missed Open Enrollment at Work

I had assumed this year if I didn’t make any changes to my healthcare plan it would stay the same for 2024. (I had missed it last year and my benefits were exactly the same for this year). But this year was somehow special and was considered an “active” enrollment, so if I didn’t go in and select my plans, I would lose healthcare coverage for the upcoming year. I didn’t pay close attention to the dates, and went to check tonight…but it’s closed. Completely my fault for not opening up HR’s reminder and reading it all the way through. But now it looks like I’m not going to have any medical coverage for all of 2024. No qualifying life events (I am moving to a nearby town soon, but it looks like that doesn’t count).

I set up a phone meeting with an HR insurance person to get an explaination of my benefits, but I’m very worried that nothing can be done. I can’t afford insurance that’s not through my employer, and this would mean having to stop my antidepressants and adhd meds.

Would this me considered “quitting” my plan? or a voluntary loss of coverage? I didn’t actively do anything to stop my plan….any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’ve lost healthcare coverage before (in high school and college) and I had to suddenly stop taking my psych meds….very stressful. I really hope I won’t have to just suck it up and be unmedicated for an entire year.

TLDR: does forgetting to select a plan during open enrollment count as a voluntary loss of coverage?