Susan Stewart, Licensed Insurance Agent
Welcome to open enrollment season! The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) started on October 15th, which means it’s time to meet with your insurance agent to pick a health plan to cover you starting January 1st, 2026.
As an insurance agent, when people ask me how to make sure they get the coverage they need, I tell them that people in my profession have a wish for every client:
BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE. Ask questions. Clarify anything you’re not clear on. Don’t make the mistake of focusing on one thing and not understanding the complete package.
Why is that so important? The truth is that your agent is here to help, but you can help yourself make smart decisions and save time on the phone by being prepared for your conversations with us. Having the right information will help us work as a much more effective team to find you the coverage you need.
Here are a few things I recommend doing to get started.
Read your “Annual Notice of Change” letter.
If you’re on Medicare or Medicare Advantage, you should have received a letter from your health carrier sometime in September. It’s called an “Annual Notice of Change” letter.
Open this letter. Read it. Save it and have it with you when you talk to your agent. It tells you how your current plan will change next year.
Know what’s important to you next year.
Remember: What’s matters to you next year might be different from what mattered to you this year. Do you have more medical needs? Fewer medical needs? Has your doctor or hospital left your plan? Copays? Dental? Transportation? Prescription drug costs?
Prepare a complete list of your providers.
And I mean complete. Name. Spelling. Address. Part of a group? Bonus points if you’ve already asked them which Medicare Advantage carriers they participate with.
Do you see a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant? Who is the doctor they work under? Some carriers will want to know.
What is your preferred hospital, its name, and its address? Have any of those details changed? Where do you do physical therapy? Do you need supplies for your CPAP machine, and does it matter where they come from?
Make a complete list of your prescribed medications.
Include the name, dose, and how many times a day. Can’t pronounce it? Give me the first four letters and we’ll figure it out together. Why you take it isn’t relevant, but the accuracy of everything you take is. Don’t forget medicines you store in the refrigerator.
Be ready to take notes.
That way, the next time you call your agent you’ll have a record about the plan you've already taken up, so it’s easier the next time you go through the process. Be prepared to compare.
Last, I encourage you not to get too wrapped up in one detail to the point that the rest of your plan doesn’t matter. If you can get a card to help with food or over-the-counter medication, but pay $50 every time you see one of seven specialists, you hurt yourself if you’re not paying attention to the review.
Open enrollment season is here, and insurance agents like me are here to help.
Be patient. Be ready. Let’s do it together!
