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Sunday, June 7, 2009

Find out when open enrollment for health insurance is

By Lynn Lopez

Open enrollment for health insurance is like Christmas - it comes but once a year. Yet most employees end up missing this important time. It is not something people look forward to. As a result, a lot of people end up being enrolled in the previous year's health plan, which may or may no longer meet their needs. Unlike Christmas, open enrollment for health insurance is hardly fun, but it is definitely important.

What is open enrollment for health insurance? It is a specific time period during which eligible employees are allowed to make changes to their current health plan. Even better, you cannot be denied enrollment, nor are you required to provide evidence of insurability during open enrollment for health insurance period, as long as you are eligible for the health insurance, in spite of pre-existing medical conditions. Regrettably, there is a limit to the time given for you to apply your desired changes. If you miss this time frame, then you will have to wait for the following year to modify your health insurance plan. There are exceptions to this, particularly when there are any major life-changing events in your life, such as birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, a dependent child going over the age of eligibility, or a change in employment/employment status for you, your spouse and/or your dependents. You are allowed to inform your health insurance provider of these changes, so your plan can be updated accordingly.

Open enrollment for health insurance allows you to increase or decrease your coverage, add or remove dependents if you wish, look into other health insurance options, sign up for coverage in an alternative health plan option, or opt out of coverage completely. Needless to say, you do not necessarily have to change your plan during open enrollment for health insurance. You can leave your present plan the way it is, if you are happy with your current coverage.

Before open enrollment for health insurance period comes around, go to your human resources office, gather and evaluate all the available health insurance literature. A majority of companies provide their employees with at least two health insurance choices. You can do your work colleagues a favor by requesting human resources to send interoffice memoranda and circulars that will remind employees when it is open enrollment for health insurance. Know the difference among the fee-for-service plans (FFS), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), point of service plans (POS), and preferred provider organizations (PPO). You pay for the flexibility involved in each type of health insurance plan.

Take into consideration you and your dependents' medical issues and concerns. Your needs change, so your health insurance requirements should change too. Change your health insurance accordingly.

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