Renewing or Changing Health Plans during Open Enrollment

You have a few options if you already have Individual and Family coverage. No matter when your coverage started, you must renew your current plan or enroll in a new plan. To avoid gaps in coverage, this must be done by December 15 for January 1 coverage.

Follow the steps below for help choosing and enrolling in a plan.

Renewing Your Current Plan

We will send you a letter and information about your renewal prior to the start of the Open Enrollment Period. In most cases, you have the opportunity to keep your current plan. If we no longer offer your current plan your enrolled in, we will offer you a similar plan. 

Choosing a New Plan

If you don’t want to renew your current health insurance plan, you can enroll in a new plan. Medical Mutual offers a number of subsidy-eligible and non-subsidy-eligible health plans for you to consider.  If you are eligible for a federal subsidy, you can also shop our plans on the Federal Marketplace. You can also enroll in a plan directly through Medical Mutual.

Medical Mutual’s licensed agents can help you choose a plan if you have a subsidy or if you don’t. They can also help you through any changes to your subsidy. You can reach them at 1-866-488-3266.

All Individual and Family plans end on December 31. Be sure to pick a new plan online or by phone by December 15 for a January 1 start date. This will avoid any gap in your health insurance coverage.

If you need help comparing different types of health insurance plans, view our guide.

Important Open Enrollment Dates and Deadlines

Here are the important dates to remember when renewing or choosing a new plan:

• November 1 – The Open Enrollment Period begins. This is the first day you can choose a new plan.
• December 31 – Your previous year's coverage will end.
• January 1 – Your new coverage starts if you enrolled by December 15.
• January 15 – This is the last day you can choose a new plan. To avoid any gaps in coverage, you should enroll in a plan by December 15. If you enroll after this date, your coverage will begin February 1.

Reporting Status Changes

It’s also important to report any status changes whether you’re renewing or picking a new plan. These changes include:

• Changes in income
• Job-based health insurance coverage for any household member (even if he or she hasn’t enrolled in such a plan)
• Household changes, including:
  
  • Birth and adoption
  • Divorce and separation
  • Death
  • Placing a child for adoption or foster care
  • A child on your policy turning 26
  • A dependent on your policy changing status (they are no longer your dependent)
• A household member getting coverage from a public program, like Medicaid, CHIP or Medicare
• Change in permanent home address

Reporting these changes determines if you are eligible for savings (and how much those savings amount to) and what plans are offered.

If You Have Employer Coverage

If you have coverage through your employer, the company will probably offer you coverage again. Talk to your Human Resources department or benefits administrator to learn about what you need to do. If your employer is not offering coverage, you should consider enrolling in an Individual and Family health insurance plan. Learn more about how to compare health insurance plans using our guide.