Choosing Health Insurance During Open Enrollment

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ARTICLE REPRINTED FROM NYTIMES.COM

October 9, 2009, 4:22 pm
Choosing Health Insurance During Open Enrollment
By Tara Parker-Pope

This week, the Patient Money columnists Lesley Alderman and Walecia Konrad begin a new series on employee health benefits and the open enrollment process.

If, like many people, you typically default to your current options, I have one word of advice: don’t. Health insurance costs will be higher, and doing nothing could potentially cost you hundreds of dollars.

In “The Annual Task of Choosing an Insurance Plan,” Ms. Alderman highlights the main trends this year in employee health benefits. In “When Open-Enrollment Envelopes Arrive, Open Them,” Ms. Konrad offers suggestions on how to handle the changes and avoid huge cost increases.

After you read the articles, join the discussion below. Are you making changes to your health benefits during the open enrollment period this year?