How to Prepare for Health Insurance Open Enrollment: A Checklist and Mistakes to Avoid

Start with what you need, not the cheapest quote

It usually starts with a quick search for affordable health insurance. You click a site promising instant quotes, type in your name, phone number, ZIP code and date of birth, and hit submit. Within minutes your phone rings. Then it rings again. By evening you’ve had calls and texts from people you’ve never heard of, each one pushing a plan you don’t fully understand and telling you to decide today.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. It’s also avoidable.

Getting ready for open enrollment means knowing three things: what you need, what you can afford, and who you can trust. This open enrollment checklist walks you through all three, so you can compare plans with confidence before you talk to anyone, including us. For a broader explanation of how enrollment works, see our complete Open Enrollment Guide.

2027 Marketplace open enrollment dates

For states that use HealthCare.gov, here are the key dates for 2027 coverage, according to HealthCare.gov:

Date	What happens
November 1, 2026	Open enrollment begins. You can enroll in, renew or change a Marketplace plan for 2027.
December 15, 2026	Last day to enroll or switch plans for coverage that starts January 1, 2027.
January 15, 2027	Open enrollment ends. After this, you generally need a Special Enrollment Period to enroll or change plans.
February 1, 2027	Coverage starts for plans selected December 16 through January 15.

In both cases, coverage starts only after you pay your first premium. If your state runs its own marketplace, its dates may differ, so check your state’s official exchange.

Marketplace health insurance open enrollment is also separate from two other enrollment seasons you may hear about. Employer benefits enrollment follows whatever schedule your employer sets. Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period, for people with Medicare, runs October 15 through December 7.

1. Get your information ready before shopping

The best time to figure out how to choose health insurance plans is before anyone quotes you a price. Gather these items first, and every conversation after will be faster and more useful.

• Your current plan. Plan name, insurer, monthly premium and your renewal notice. Note what worked and what disappointed you, like a surprise bill or a doctor who left the network.
• Your doctors and facilities. The doctors, specialists, hospitals and pharmacies you want to keep.
• Your prescriptions. Each medication’s name, dose and how often you take it. Flag specialty or brand-name drugs.
• Care you expect next year. Planned procedures, ongoing conditions, a pregnancy, or a family member who sees a specialist regularly.
• Your household and income. Who will be covered, who is in your tax household, and your estimated household income for 2027.
• Other coverage and life changes. Any employer coverage offered to you or your spouse, plus upcoming changes like marriage, a baby, a move or a new job.
• Your budget. A premium you can pay every month, and what you could realistically pay out of pocket during a serious illness or hospital stay.

A note for self-employed and 1099 workers: On a Marketplace application, you estimate your net self-employment income for the coverage year, not your gross revenue. If you file a Schedule C, the profit on that form is the figure HealthCare.gov points to. Savings are based on what you expect to earn in 2027, not last year’s return, so use last year as a starting point and adjust. See HealthCare.gov’s guide to reporting self-employment income.

Accuracy matters more than it used to. Beginning with tax year 2026, the IRS requires you to repay the full amount of any excess advance premium tax credit when you file. Update your application promptly if your income changes, and ask a tax professional if you’re unsure how deductions affect your estimate.

2. Don’t submit your information to every quote website

Not every “free quote” site sells insurance. Some are lead-generation sites that collect your contact details and share or sell them to multiple marketers. That’s how one form can turn into a week of calls and texts from companies you never contacted.

That doesn’t make every online form a problem. HealthCare.gov, your state’s official marketplace, insurers’ own websites, legitimate enrollment partners and an agency you deliberately choose all collect information to help you enroll. The risk is not knowing who’s on the other end.

Regulators take this seriously. In 2025, the FTC announced a $45 million settlement with MediaAlpha, a lead generator it alleged misled health insurance shoppers into sharing personal information that was then sold to telemarketers.

Before you type in your phone number or date of birth:

• Find out who runs the site. Look for a real business name, address and license details, not just a generic brand.
• Read the fine print near the submit button. Language about “marketing partners” or consent to contact from multiple companies is a signal your information will travel.
• Verify the business separately before sharing anything sensitive.

A better approach: research an agent first, then contact them directly. Ask who will receive your information and how follow-up works. A trustworthy agency will give you a straight answer.

3. Don’t choose a plan based only on its monthly price

The premium is what you pay each month to keep coverage. It’s the easiest number to compare, which is why it gets too much attention. The costs that matter most show up when you actually use care:

• Deductible: what you pay for covered services before the plan starts sharing costs. Some services, like preventive care, may be covered before you meet it.
• Copay: a flat amount for a service, like an office visit or a prescription.
• Coinsurance: your percentage of the bill after the deductible, such as 20%.
• Prescription costs: whether each of your drugs is covered and which price tier it falls in.
• Network: the doctors and hospitals the plan contracts with. Out-of-network care can cost far more or not be covered at all.
• Out-of-pocket maximum: the most you pay for covered, in-network care in a year. Premiums don’t count toward it.

Now picture two very different years:

	Routine-care year	Serious-illness or hospital year
What drives your costs	Premiums, office copays, prescriptions	Premiums, deductible, coinsurance, up to the out-of-pocket maximum
What to compare	Premium, copays, drug costs	Deductible, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum, hospital network

For a quick worst-case check on a major medical plan, add 12 months of premiums to the out-of-pocket maximum. That’s roughly the most you’d spend on covered, in-network care in a bad year. It won’t include out-of-network bills, excluded services or drugs the plan doesn’t cover.

That math only works for comprehensive major medical coverage. Many limited-benefit products, such as fixed-indemnity plans, have no out-of-pocket maximum at all, so there’s no ceiling to add.

4. Ask for the brochure and written coverage details before buying

Before you agree to anything, ask for these in writing:

• The exact plan name and the insurer behind it
• The brochure and benefit schedule
• The Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), where applicable
• The policy, certificate of coverage or other plan documents, if available

A brochure summarizes benefits. The policy or certificate contains the actual terms, exclusions and limitations the insurer applies when you file a claim.

Use those documents to answer these questions:

• What’s excluded, and are there waiting periods?
• How are pre-existing conditions handled?
• Are my prescriptions covered, and at what cost?
• What does the plan pay for hospital stays, surgery and emergency care?
• Are maternity and mental health care covered?
• Are there per-day, per-service or yearly benefit caps?
• Which services need prior authorization?

One point deserves its own line: a network logo does not tell you how much the plan pays. A familiar network name on a card may only mean access to negotiated rates. The plan documents tell you whether the plan pays a percentage of the bill, a fixed dollar amount, or nothing at all for a given service.

5. A good agent explains limitations and gives you time to decide

The right agent won’t just tell you what a plan covers. They’ll show you what it doesn’t. Watch for these red flags:

• “Everything is covered.”
• Guarantees about approval or claim payment that can’t be backed up in writing.
• Artificial urgency, like “this price disappears tonight,” or pressure to hand over payment details right away.
• Refusing or stalling when you ask for plan documents.
• Dodging questions about exclusions or what type of plan it actually is.

Real deadlines exist, and a good agent will tell you about them. December 15 and January 15 matter for Marketplace coverage. The difference is in how it’s handled: a trustworthy agent explains the deadline calmly and helps you meet it without pushing you to buy something you don’t understand.

Of all the questions to ask a health insurance agent, this one may be the most revealing:

“Can you show me where that benefit, and any limitation, is stated in the plan documents?”

A good agent will find it. One who can’t, or won’t, has told you something important.

Keep expectations realistic, too. An agent can explain coverage, help you compare, and help you work through billing or claim problems. But the insurer decides each claim, so no agent can honestly guarantee that every future claim will be paid.

6. Check the agent’s license and reviews

An agent selling you health insurance must be licensed in the state where you live. Before sharing personal information, look up the agent or agency on your state insurance department’s website. For Marketplace plans, HealthCare.gov’s Find Local Help tool also lists agents and brokers near you.

Then read reviews for patterns, not just star ratings. Look for comments about clear explanations, responsiveness, help after enrollment, and support when billing or coverage questions came up. Read recent and critical reviews, not only the glowing ones. How a business responds to a complaint says a lot.

Licensing and reviews are useful checks, but neither guarantees that a particular plan fits you. That still comes down to your needs and the plan documents.

7. Confirm the details before replacing existing coverage

Before switching, confirm that your doctors and hospital are in network for the exact plan you’re choosing, not just the insurer. Check that each prescription is on the plan’s drug list, and whether it requires prior authorization, step therapy or quantity limits.

Then confirm what type of product it is. These are not interchangeable:

Product type	How it generally works
Major medical (including Marketplace plans)	Broad coverage of essential health benefits, with a yearly out-of-pocket maximum for covered, in-network care
Short-term health plans	Temporary coverage that doesn’t follow ACA rules; may exclude pre-existing conditions and limit benefits
Fixed-indemnity plans	Pay a set dollar amount per day or service, regardless of the actual bill
Supplemental plans (accident, critical illness, hospital)	Pay benefits for specific events; designed to sit alongside major medical, not replace it
Discount plans	Not insurance; offer reduced rates at participating providers, and you pay the bill

If your plan is renewing automatically, don’t assume nothing changed. Premiums, networks, drug lists, benefits and any tax credit amount can all shift from year to year, so read your renewal notice.

Finally, don’t end your current coverage until you’ve confirmed the new plan’s effective date and paid its first premium. Even a short gap can be expensive.

Your open enrollment checklist

Save this list and work through it before you enroll:

• Mark December 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027, on your calendar, or your state marketplace’s dates.
• Find your current plan details and renewal notice.
• List your doctors, specialists, hospitals and pharmacy.
• Write down each prescription with its dose and frequency.
• Note the care you expect to need next year.
• Estimate your 2027 household income, using net self-employment income if you’re self-employed.
• Set a monthly premium budget and a realistic worst-case budget.
• Check for any employer coverage offers in your household.
• Verify an agent’s license and reviews before sharing personal information.
• Get the plan name, insurer, brochure, SBC and plan documents in writing.
• Confirm the plan type, network and drug coverage for the exact plan.
• Confirm the start date and pay the first premium before canceling old coverage.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do before open enrollment?

If you’re wondering how to prepare for open enrollment, start by gathering your current plan details, doctors, prescriptions, expected care, household information and a 2027 income estimate. Set a realistic budget, then compare plans on total cost, not just the premium.

What documents should I request before buying health insurance?

Ask for the exact plan name and insurer, the brochure, the benefit schedule, the Summary of Benefits and Coverage where applicable, and any available policy or certificate documents. The brochure summarizes; the policy documents contain the terms and limitations.

Why am I getting calls after requesting an insurance quote?

Some quote websites are lead generators that share or sell your contact information to multiple marketers. You can ask each caller to stop contacting you, register your number at donotcall.gov, and report illegal calls at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Is the cheapest health insurance plan the best choice?

Not necessarily. Comparing premiums alone is one of the most common health insurance mistakes to avoid. A low premium can come with a high deductible, a narrow network or limited benefits.

How can I check whether a health insurance agent is licensed?

Use the license lookup on your state insurance department’s website. For Marketplace plans, HealthCare.gov’s Find Local Help tool also lists agents and brokers.

Can a health insurance agent guarantee that everything is covered?

No. Every plan has terms, exclusions and limits, and the insurer decides each claim. A good agent will show you where benefits and limitations appear in the plan documents and help if problems come up later.

Get a second set of eyes before you enroll

Open enrollment goes more smoothly when you show up prepared. If you’d like help reviewing your needs, reading plan documents or comparing your options, schedule a free, no-pressure consultation with 1099 Health Insurance. We’ll walk through what you’ve gathered, answer your questions, and give you the time you need to decide.