What is open enrollment?

If your family’s plan rolls over with the beginning of a new calendar year, you should soon or perhaps have already received notice of open enrollment season from the health plan or your employer group. Be sure to note when a decision is required. Enrollment windows can be short and there is a lot of information to sift through. Open enrollment is the one chance you get every year to think through your plan choices in terms of cost and coverage and consider the ways in which you did or did not use your benefits during the previous year.

Don’t forget to consider life and family events and family choices that may affect your health care needs for the coming year: new job, new marriage, new mortgage, growing your family, or seeing children move into teen years or even their own coverage. With most plans, you cannot make voluntary changes to existing coverage except at this time of year.

For more tips when it comes to taking a closer look at your health care coverage, check out our article Monthly Premiums & Annual Deductibles: Planning for the Year Ahead.