The top 7 things you need to know about open enrollment
One window a year sets your coverage, your costs and your peace of mind for the next twelve months. Treat it like a reset button, not a chore — here's what actually matters.
Marketplace open enrollment runs November 1 – January 15; enroll by December 15 and coverage starts January 1. Even if you like your plan, use the window to re-check it — prices, networks and subsidies all reset every year. The full calendar and checklist live on our Open Enrollment hub.
01The deadline is real — and it doesn't negotiate
For most Americans, marketplace open enrollment runs November 1 through January 15— states that run their own exchanges can shift the dates slightly. Miss the window and you generally can't enroll in or change a health plan until next year, unless a qualifying life event opens a special enrollment period (more on that in number six). And don't start in the last week: comparing plans honestly takes more than an evening, and that's when everyone else calls too.
02You can renew, switch, or drop — but compare regardless
The window gives you three moves: renew your current plan if it's still offered, switch to one that fits better, or dropcoverage because you're getting it somewhere else, like a new job. Even if you like what you have, compare anyway. Premiums, provider networks and covered services all reset from year to year — the plan that fit last January can quietly stop fitting without you changing a thing.
03Your life changed this year; your plan should hear about it
New prescriptions? A marriage or divorce? A baby, a new diagnosis, a new ZIP code? Each of those changes which plan actually serves you — the network, drug list and cost structure that made sense before may not anymore. Open enrollment is your one guaranteed chance each year to match coverage to your currentlife instead of last year's, so bring the changes to the review, not just the plan card.
04The premium is one of four numbers, not the price
The lowest monthly premium is the easiest number to shop — and the least complete. Every plan really costs four things: the premium (your monthly payment), the deductible (what you pay before insurance kicks in), copays and coinsurance (what you owe each time you get care), and the out-of-pocket maximum(the most you'll pay in a year before the plan covers the rest). If you expect to use care, a higher premium often buys a lower total cost. If you're healthy and rarely see a doctor, a low-premium, high-deductible plan can be the right call. Just do the whole math, not a quarter of it.
Free and no obligation — we compare your options side by side, total cost included.Compare my options
05Subsidies can change the whole answer
Premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductionslower what many households actually pay — and eligibility resets with your income every year. Didn't qualify before? You might now. While the window is open, re-estimate next year's household income, run the subsidy check, and see whether Medicaid or CHIP fits anyone in the house. Financial help routinely lowers premiums and deductibles enough to turn a plan you'd ruled out into the obvious choice.
06Special enrollment periods are a safety net, not a plan
Outside the window, you can only enroll or switch when a qualifying life event opens a special enrollment period — losing employer coverage, marriage or divorce, a birth or adoption, a move to an area with different plans, leaving incarceration. SEPs are real help when life happens, but they usually give you just 60 daysfrom the event, under pressure, with no do-over. Open enrollment is the calm, flexible version of the same decision. Use it while it's open.
07You don't have to navigate it alone
This is the biggest one. Plan documents are long, the language is technical, and the trade-offs aren't obvious — that's the format, not a personal failing. A broker's job is to translate: break the options down plainly, compare pricing and benefits side by side, confirm your doctors and prescriptions are covered, handle the subsidy paperwork, and enroll you without pressure. And it costs you nothing — brokers are paid by the carriers, and your premium is identical either way.
Dates, checklists and subsidy math for Nov 1 – Jan 15, refreshed every fall.
What to do if you miss open enrollmentSpecial enrollment periods, year-round options and the honest trade-offs.
How to compare health insurance plansSix steps to shop with confidence — the big-four costs, networks and timing.
