We recently teamed up with Allstate Health Solutions to simplify your search for affordable health insurance. Reminder: the, fall open enrollment season includes two signup periods for two different groups of people:
- Medicare Annual Enrollment (ages 65+) | October 15th – December 7th
- Open Enrollment for Individual Marketplace plans (under age 65) | November 1st – January 15th
Both of these enrollment periods allow people to update their healthcare coverage for the following year.
Call 1-855-481-2452 (TTY: 711 enabled), Monday – Friday, 8am to 10pm, Saturday – Sunday, 8am – 9 pm EST to speak to a licensed insurance agent or click HERE to get started online.
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs from October 15th – December 7th. During this window, people with Medicare can:
- Enroll in Medicare Advantage for the first time if they have Original Medicare
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
- Return to Original Medicare from an Advantage plan (and enroll in Part D if they do)
- Enroll in a Part D plan for the first time if they have Original Medicare
- Change or drop their Part D plan altogether
AEP is the one time during the year when everyone with Medicare can make changes to their coverage. Whether you’ve got a private plan, like Medicare Advantage, or Original Medicare, AEP allows you to take a look at what’s available for the next year and update your coverage if you need to.
Why bother updating a Medicare plan? Two reasons: cost and coverage.
Private Medicare plans like Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans can change from year to year. If you have one of these plans, you should get an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) in September outlining any changes to the plan. You can use the ANOC and your own personal experience with the plan to decide whether you want to keep it or look for something else.
But even if you like your plan, the Medicare AEP gives you the opportunity to compare new options. You may find coverage that fits your needs and budget better.
Open Enrollment for Individual Marketplace Plans
If you’re under 65, you can use the Open Enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, also known as Marketplace plans. For short, we refer to ACA plans as “marketplace” plans even though you don’t have to buy them from a federal or state marketplace.
Marketplace plans:
- Cover 10 essential health benefits, including preventive care, prescription drugs, emergency care, mental health care & more
- Accept people regardless of health history and cover pre-existing conditions without restrictions
- Can’t charge more for people with pre-existing conditions
Every fall, there’s an Open Enrollment for Marketplace plans, or a chance to enroll in a new plan.
Marketplace plans also offer tax credits (“subsidies”) to lower the premium cost for people who qualify – and that’s most people. According to the government, 4 out of 5 people could find a plan for just $10/month after subsidies in 2023.
The Open Enrollment period for marketplace plans runs November 1st – January 15th, with a caveat. If you want coverage to start on January 1st, you’ll need to enroll by December 15th.
Note: states with their own marketplaces may set different enrollment windows, so if you live in one of these states (or D.C.), your enrollment window might differ: CA, CO, CT, ID, KY, ME, MD, MA, MN, NV, NJ, NM, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA or WA.
Allstate Health Solutions can help you navigate your coverage choices.
Call 1-855-481-2452 TTY 711, Monday – Friday, 8am to 10pm, Saturday – Sunday, 8am – 9 pm EST to speak to a licensed insurance agent or click HERE to get started online.