How to Change Your Health Insurance Plan

Things in life are always changing! No worries. Here’s what you need to know about changing your health insurance plan. Nothing about health is set in stone, including insurance needs. So, what happens if you have enrolled in a health plan and later realized that your needs or the needs of your family have changed?

Check it out:

How can you change your health insurance plan?
There are two periods of time when you can change your health insurance plan. These two periods are called special enrollment and open enrollment.

• Special enrollment is the period of time outside of the annual open enrollment period when you can sign up for a health insurance plan.
• Open enrollment is the period of time set up to allow you to sign up for health insurance plans, usually once a year. 

Check out the list of qualifying life events by clicking here!

How did you enroll in your health insurance plan?
Let’s add another layer to this beautiful layer cake of changing insurance plans. Another little morsel to remember to change your health insurance plan is how you enrolled. Did you enroll through your employer, on the Health Insurance Marketplace or directly with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL)?

If you enrolled through the Health Insurance Marketplace or directly with BCBSIL you have an individual or family plan. Open enrollment for individual and family plans begins Nov. 1 every year, however if you’ve experienced a qualifying life event you may be able to change your health insurance plan during the special enrollment period. 

• Go to Healthcare.gov or call them at 800-318-2596 if you purchased your Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan on the Marketplace.
• Go to bcbsil.com or call our enrollment team at 877-731-4649 to learn your options for special enrollment if you purchased your plan directly through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.

Finally, If you enrolled through your employer, that’s called a group plan or group coverage. Group plans set their own schedule for open enrollment and special enrollment. To change your health insurance plan, you’ll have to call your company’s human resource department or the number on the back of your member ID card for specific open enrollment and special enrollment details.

In a nutshell, you won’t be able to change your health insurance plan unless you’re in an open enrollment period or you’ve experienced a qualifying life event outside of the open enrollment period.

Think you qualify for special enrollment?
Review the special enrollment qualifications, answer a few questions and start shopping for your new plan.

What is changing in YOUR life? Tell us about it in the comments!

Originally published 6/8/2015; Revised 2018