BY CATHY HALL for WEEKLY VOLCANO 11/7/25 |
Lots of people are talking about open enrollment—but what is it? Open enrollment rolls around every year about this time. It is the specific period when people can make changes to their health insurance, including employer-provided insurance, the Health Insurance Marketplace (created by the Affordable Care Act or “ACA”), and Medicare. The enrollment or update periods vary depending on which of the three types of insurance you have. There are a few exceptions (Special Enrollment Period) for qualifying life events such as marriage or the birth of a child. Bottom line: the open enrollment period is a great time to review your health insurance to ensure that everything you need covered is covered.
If you have employer-provided benefits, open enrollment is the time set by your employer for you to update, choose, or modify your insurance coverage. Your plan might include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement plans, and possibly more. The exact dates are set by your employer and usually occur in the fall, then your new or modified benefits take effect at the start of the new year.
Some people or families do not have employer-provided insurance, so they choose to shop for insurance plans using the ACA Marketplace. In Washington State, the ACA program is called Washington Health Plan Finder (www.wahealthplanfinder.org). Open enrollment for the ACA Marketplace starts on November 1 and runs through January 15. During this period, anyone can apply for health insurance via the website above.
In Washington State, you might also qualify for Cascade Care Savings. You could take advantage of this if your income is limited but high enough not to qualify for Apple Health (Medicaid). Apple Health is the exception, as signing up for Apple Health is not limited to the open enrollment period. If you qualify, you can sign up for Apple Health at any time.
The third type of insurance is Medicare. Medicare is offered to people over the age of 65, younger people with specific disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease. Medicare consists of four parts: Part A (Hospital Insurance), Part B (Medical Insurance), Part C (Medicare Advantage), and Part D (Prescription Drug Benefit). Medicare is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (www.cms.gov). The open enrollment period for Medicare runs from October 15 through December 7.
Winding through the health insurance process can be confusing and often frustrating. Community Health Care offers Insurance Navigation Services. You don’t even need to be a Community Health Care patient to use these services—CHC offers them at no charge to anyone. You can call us at (253) 722-2154, 8AM–5PM Monday through Friday. For more information about Community Health Care, visit our website at www.commhealth.org.
