What is Open Enrollment?

It is open enrollment season!

This is the period of time (usually in the fall) when you can make alterations to your health insurance plan, sign up for coverage, or cancel your plan. If you miss this window, you may have to wait until next year when open enrollment is available again to make changes to your policy.

If you receive health insurance through your job, the marketplace, or Medicare, you will have an open enrollment period.

When going through the process, there are a couple of things you can put together to make the experience as easy as possible:

1) Collect Your Household Information. Names, birth dates, and social security numbers for each person applying.

2) Income Details. Gather all of your pay stubs, tax returns, and other documents to show your total household income.

3) Current Coverage Information. Keep your policy details nearby if you are already covered. This will usually include things such as your policy number, group number, the correct spelling of the main policy holder (sometimes called the guarantor), etc.

4) Preferred Doctors and Medications. Keep a list of providers and prescriptions you want to include in your plan.

If you are not considering changing your insurance plan, your current one will automatically renew for another year. But it can still be a good idea to review your coverage annually.

Although your plan may stay the same, your benefits, doctor, pharmacy networks, and prescription coverage can change each year as well. Additionally, your out of pocket expenses can also change such as premiums, deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket maximums can change as well.

The open enrollment system can be difficult to operate on your own. Depending on how you get your health coverage, the start and cutoff dates are usually different from each other. In addition to the information above, there are also a number of insurance brokers who can help you sort through different plans and make sure you get what you need.

Brokers can help in a variety of ways.

• Give you access to the plans in your zip code that fit your specific needs.
• Help navigate plans that cover your specific medications and physician networks.
• Help resolve issues with your plan and/or coverage.

Additionally, using a broker doesn’t cost you, the consumer, any additional fees.

A lot of times, your doctor, pharmacy, or specialty pharmacy can direct you to patient navigation services if you ever find yourself in need of some guidance. Don’t hesitate to call and ask for help!

Open enrollment season can be stressful. Have your information ready and remember you don’t have to do this alone.

Happy enrolling!