Tips for Navigating Open Enrollment

Overview When open enrollment season starts, you ’ll be making important decisions about your and your family’s health care coverage for 2018. Navigating the details can be tricky. Here are some factors to consider and questions to ask during the open enrollment process. Content Blocks ContentKnow your needs. Do you have a chronic condition, or is your family relatively healthy? Where will you go for care in an emergency and will you be able to cover the expenses? Choosing a plan that covers your known and unexpected needs requires careful consideration of costs and benefits.Consider family changes. Do you have a child going to college out of state or studying abroad next year? Is there a new job on the horizon for a spouse or a new child entering the family? These factors can influence the type of coverage you choose.Know what ’s covered. What services are important to you and your family? Do you have any procedures planned for the coming year? Review the services available through each plan, and determine the coverage that ’s available.Identify your provider network. Different plans include different doctors. If you like a particular provider or hospital, you ’ll want to ensure they are in your network. Many insurance carriers now offer different tiers of coverage at different costs, so the same insurance may not cover the same network of doctors and hospitals.Calculate your costs. In addition to your monthly premium, and annual deductible, you ’ll want to...
Source: dukehealth.org: Duke Health News - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Source Type: news