The best open enrollment tips to lower your healthcare costs are to review how you used care this year, compare each plan’s total cost instead of just the premium, make sure your doctors and prescriptions are covered, and take advantage of tax-free accounts like an HSA or FSA if your employer offers them. Open enrollment dates vary by employer, so check with your HR team for your window.
Open enrollment is the one time each year when you can change your health coverage without a special life event. It’s also your best chance to cut what you spend on care next year. These open enrollment tips will help you compare plans, use tax-free accounts, and avoid the costly mistake of letting last year’s coverage roll over without a second look.
Whether you’re choosing benefits for yourself or your family, take a little time now, and you could save hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars in 2027.
The best open enrollment tips start with your own history. Pull up your claims or explanation of benefits statements from the past year. Count your doctor visits, specialist visits, prescriptions, and any urgent care or ER trips.
Then think ahead. Are you planning a surgery, expecting a baby, or managing a new condition? A plan that worked when you were healthy may cost you more if your needs are changing.
One of the most important open enrollment tips is to look past the premium. A low monthly premium can be tempting, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. To see what a plan really costs, add up:
If you rarely see a doctor, a high-deductible plan with a lower premium may save you money. If you have regular visits or ongoing prescriptions, a plan with a higher premium and lower copays may cost less overall.
Plans change their networks and drug lists every year, so this is one of the open enrollment tips you can’t skip. Before you enroll, check that your primary care doctor, specialists, and preferred hospital are still in network. Going out of network can mean much higher bills, or no coverage at all.
Look up each of your medications on the plan’s drug list, called a formulary. Note which tier each drug falls in, since that sets your copay. Ask whether a generic or mail-order option could lower the cost.
A Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) lets you set aside pre-tax money for medical costs. That means every dollar you spend on care goes further. Of all the open enrollment tips here, this one can bring the biggest tax savings.
Plan your contribution around the costs you can predict, like prescriptions, glasses, or dental work. The IRS sets new contribution limits each year, so check the current IRS limits before you choose an amount.
Most open enrollment choices come down to a few common plan types:
There’s no single best choice. The right plan depends on your budget, your health, and how much flexibility you want. Use the other open enrollment tips in this guide to narrow it down.
Most open enrollment tips focus on medical plans, but your benefits package may include much more. Dental, vision, telehealth, wellness programs, and employee assistance programs can all lower what you pay out of pocket. Some employers even offer premium discounts for completing a health screening.
If you’re covering a spouse or children, compare the cost of adding them to your plan against their own employer’s plan. Some employers charge a surcharge to cover a spouse who has other coverage available.
It’s easy to let your current plan roll over. But premiums, deductibles, networks, and drug lists can all change from one year to the next. Review the plan materials your employer shares, like the Summary of Benefits and Coverage, and compare them with your other options before your enrollment window closes. Following these open enrollment tips for just a few minutes can keep you from being surprised by higher costs in January. If you’re an employer getting your team ready, our guide on when employers should prepare for open enrollment walks through the steps to take before fall.
Have questions about these open enrollment tips? You don’t have to sort through your options alone. Bene-Care’s licensed team helps employers build benefits packages that fit their people and their budget, and helps employees understand their options during open enrollment.
Call us at (585) 347-1300 or visit bene-care.com to talk with our team.
It depends on your employer. Each company sets its own open enrollment window, often in the fall for plans that renew January 1. Outside that window, you can usually only change coverage if you have a qualifying life event, such as starting a new job, getting married, or having a baby.
In most cases, you’ll have to wait until the next open enrollment period to change your coverage. The exception is a qualifying life event, such as getting married, having a baby, or losing other coverage, which can open a Special Enrollment Period.
A high-deductible plan can save you money if you’re generally healthy and don’t expect many doctor visits. If it’s an HSA-qualified plan, it also lets you open an HSA to save for medical costs tax-free. If you have ongoing care or regular prescriptions, a plan with a lower deductible may cost less overall.
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