Individual and family health insurance plans

At any stage in life, finding the right health insurance plan for you — and your family — is important. If you’re looking for individual and family plans and you’re under 65, there are many options to consider, depending on your situation.

For most health insurance plans, you can choose a plan or make changes to a plan you already have during open enrollment. That’s the most common time to get a health insurance plan. However, you can get certain plans like short term insurance or Medicaid at any time during the year.

When you’ve chosen the plan you want, you can enroll. The details of how to enroll will depend on the type of plan. You’ll usually give information about yourself, and other family members covered under your plan. You’ll also review the costs and benefits you’ve chosen.

When you can enroll in a plan depends on the kind of plan you choose.

For many plans, there’s an open enrollment period. That’s a period of time that happens once a year — typically in the fall — when you can sign up for health insurance, adjust your current plan or cancel your plan. It’s usually limited to a few weeks.

You can enroll in some plans anytime – like short term, dental or vision plans.

Here are open enrollment dates to know for some common individual and family plans.

• Individual & Family ACA Marketplace plans: November 1 through January 15, in most states
• Short term plans: Apply anytime
• Supplemental plans, like dental/vision: Apply anytime
• Health insurance through work: Enrollment periods are set by your employer (typically in fall)

There are many types of health insurance plans — and each is designed to fit different needs. Some types of health insurance include:

• Government plans
  • Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans — which can also be called Marketplace, Exchange plans or Obamacare
  • Medicare plans — for people over 65 or those under 65 who may qualify because of a disability or special condition
  • Medicaid plans — Plans that are low cost or no-cost or Dual Special Needs plans (D-SNP)
• Short term plans
  • Plans that provide limited coverage for a limited period of time
• Supplemental plans
  • For example, dental or vision plans, which may cover expenses not covered by a medical plan.

Different factors can affect your health insurance costs. It’s important to understand what these costs are before choosing a plan. Here are some costs to keep in mind:

1. Your health insurance plan will have a cost — for example, you may pay a monthly rate, or premium
2. As a member with a health plan, you may also pay copayments — or other out-of-pocket fees
3. As a member, you may also have to meet deductibles every year before insurance coverage starts

Knowing how your costs work may be a great way to help you choose which plan might work best for you. It can also help you know better how to use your benefits to your advantage once you enroll.

Every health plan is different. Be sure to check your coverage to understand what services are covered under your specific plan.

If you already have a plan, you can call the number on your member ID card or sign in to your health plan account and go to Benefits & Coverage to review what’s covered under your plan.

If you’re shopping for a plan, review the benefits before you decide to enroll. Keep in mind, many plans may focus on health and wellness. Some plans may cover:

• Preventive services (when delivered by a doctor or provider in network)
• Pre-existing conditions
• Mental and behavioral health services
• Prescription drugs
• Some medical devices (like breast pumps)
• Maternity care
• Some costs of cancer treatment

Your health plan documents are a good place to look to learn about your coverage details.