What to check during open enrollment
During open enrollment, read what changed in each plan before choosing: the premium taken from each paycheck, the deductible, copays, the out of pocket maximum, and whether your doctors and prescriptions are in network. Check the dental, vision and any health spending accounts, confirm who is covered and your beneficiaries, and submit before the deadline. If you do nothing, last year's choice may simply roll over.
Why it matters: Open enrollment is the one window each year to fix a benefits choice, and it closes fast.
Steps
- Write the enrollment deadline in your calendar as soon as the notice arrives.
- Read what changed from last year in each plan.
- For each health plan, note the premium per paycheck, the deductible, copays and the out of pocket maximum.
- Check that your doctors, pharmacy and prescriptions are covered in each plan's network.
- Review dental, vision and any health spending account options, and read the use it or lose it rules.
- Confirm who is covered, and check your life insurance and retirement beneficiaries.
- Submit before the deadline and save the confirmation.
Stop and call a professional if
- you are unsure which plan fits your health needs or budget: ask your benefits office or a licensed benefits advisor
Questions to ask the professional
- What changed in these plans from last year?
- Is my doctor in network next year?
Common mistakes
- Letting last year's choice roll over without reading the changes.
- Comparing plans by premium alone.
- Missing that a doctor left the network.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: What to check during open enrollment
What to say
During open enrollment, read what changed in each plan before choosing: the premium taken from each paycheck, the deductible, copays, the out of pocket maximum, and whether your doctors and prescriptions are in network. Check the dental, vision and any health spending accounts, confirm who is covered and your beneficiaries, and submit before the deadline. If you do nothing, last year's choice may simply roll over.
What to show
- Write the enrollment deadline in your calendar as soon as the notice arrives.
- Read what changed from last year in each plan.
- For each health plan, note the premium per paycheck, the deductible, copays and the out of pocket maximum.
- Check that your doctors, pharmacy and prescriptions are covered in each plan's network.
- Review dental, vision and any health spending account options, and read the use it or lose it rules.
- Confirm who is covered, and check your life insurance and retirement beneficiaries.
- Submit before the deadline and save the confirmation.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you are unsure which plan fits your health needs or budget: ask your benefits office or a licensed benefits advisor.
Check question
What can happen if you do nothing during open enrollment?
Answer: Last year's choice may roll over. Many employers roll choices over, even if the plans changed.
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Related skills
Sources
- US federal consumer guidance on employer health plans, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .