Open enrollment is the annual window during which you can enroll in or make changes to health or dental insurance coverage for the upcoming year. Open enrollment is the only time you can enroll in health insurance (with limited exceptions) so it’s important to enroll during this timeframe!
Here in Washington, the health insurance marketplace hosts open enrollment from November 1st through January 15th. All enrollment elections you make during this timeframe go into effect January 1st.
During open enrollment, ANYBODY can enroll in health insurance. If you need to enroll depends on your individual situation. If you already have coverage through an employer, spouse, parent, Medicare, or Medicaid, you may not need to enroll through the marketplace during open enrollment. In those cases, you should keep a lookout for annual enrollment communications from your existing insurance.
During open enrollment, you can apply for a brand new health insurance plan if you do not currently have any coverage. If you do have existing coverage, you can select a new plan if desired or if your current plan is no longer being offered. Again, these new plans will begin January 1st.
You may already have insurance through the marketplace that you think is a good fit for your medical needs. In some cases, your insurance will auto-renew and you won’t need to take any action during open enrollment. In other cases, you may have to manually renew your coverage. So, watch for renewal notices from the marketplace! Of course, if you are unsure if you need to take action, you can reach out to us for assistance.
Leading up to open enrollment, you should verify that your contact information is up to date with your insurance carrier and/or the marketplace. You should also make sure you have easy access to your household members’ basic information, such as income and social security numbers. And finally, you should decide if you want to work with an insurance broker and schedule an appointment ahead of time.
You may consider working with an insurance broker if:
- You are currently uninsured and want to enroll in insurance coverage
- If you are unsure if you need to manually renew your coverage
- If you’d like to analyze if your current coverage is still a good fit for your household needs
- If your current coverage is not being offered next year,
- Or if there’s any other reason you’ like to shop for new coverage
As always, if you have questions we are here to help at Mountain View Insurance!
