How to Change Health Insurance

Increasing premium rates and lower benefit limits may be some of the reasons you are considering changing health insurance providers. Some insurance providers stop covering specific doctors, which may be another reason to change. If your job is changing health insurance providers, you only need to fill out the required information on the enrollment form, and your employer should cover the extra steps. If you are switching on your own, make sure to pay attention to the details.

Instructions

• 1

  Investigate new health insurance providers and find a plan that you are comfortable with. Employer-offered options usually have good coverage with no pre-existing clauses, so you may consider switching to a spouse's insurance policy or to one through your work. Additional insurance provider information is available at HealthCare.gov (see Resources for a link).

• 2

  Select a plan that offers good coverage with reasonable premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Check if your current doctor is covered under the new insurance plan. Decide if you would rather have a plan that covers your current doctor or if you would rather switch doctors to save money.

• 3

  Apply for new health insurance coverage. This process can take up to a month. The application should indicate how long it will take to be notified of approval. The application for an individual health insurance policy has questions about pre-existing conditions and your health history, so provide all necessary information.

• 4

  Cancel your old policy only after you have received notification that your new policy has been approved. Send a letter to your current provider indicating your intent to cancel. Do not allow a gap in coverage since this will extend your pre-existing condition waiting period.

• 5

  Pay your new policy premium and wait for your insurance cards to arrive in the mail.