What Is Open Enrollment?

Open enrollment is the one time each year when you're allowed to sign up for, change, or drop your health insurance plan without a special reason.

When Is It?

For employer-sponsored insurance, your company sets the open enrollment window — usually in the fall, often October or November, with coverage starting January 1st. Your HR team will announce the dates.

For individual/marketplace plans (healthcare.gov), open enrollment typically runs November 1 through January 15.

What You Can Do During Open Enrollment

• Enroll in a health plan for the first time
• Switch from one plan to another
• Add or remove dependents
• Change your HSA or FSA contribution elections
• Waive coverage if you're covered elsewhere

What Happens If You Miss It?

You're generally locked into your current plan (or no plan) until the next open enrollment — unless you have a qualifying life event (see our guide on that).

Don't Just Auto-Renew Without Looking

Many people do nothing during open enrollment and their plan auto-renews. That's often fine — but plans change. Premiums go up. Networks shift. Formularies change. Take 20 minutes to actually compare your options. Comparing the out-of-pocket maximum across plans alone can save you thousands if something unexpected happens.

The Most Important Things to Compare

1. Monthly premium (what you pay whether you use it or not)
2. Deductible (what you pay before coverage kicks in)
3. Out-of-pocket maximum (your worst-case cost for the year)
4. Your doctors — are they still in-network?
5. Your prescriptions — are they still on the formulary?