It’s almost here. Yes, it is. Everyone’s favorite time of year. No, it’s not Christmas or Thanksgiving or Mother’s Day or the 4th of July, but…..

OPEN ENROLLMENT!!

Piles of paperwork, neverending meetings, exhaustive applications, and an endless string of unanswered questions. STOP THE MADNESS!

Here’s a few tips to think of to put your mind at ease, and help make the most of it.

1> If you’re interested in qualifying for Medicare, or an individual plan, a great place to start is www.healthsherpa.com. This site takes basic information to give you a quick quote for you and your family members. In order to proceed further, visit the official enrollment site at www.healthcare.gov.

2> GROUP RATES ARE OFTEN 40-50% CHEAPER THAN INDIVIDUAL. Why put that in all caps? Well, because there are still countless people out there paying individual rates who may well qualify for group. Humana will write a group policy with ONE member. Both Humana and Blue Cross will consider two spouses as a group in certain conditions. Don’t pay individual rates unless you have to.

3> Challenge your agent or broker! It never hurts to get a second opinion from another agent, particularly one that’s incentivized to work hard to earn your business.

4> LEVEL FUNDING!! Here’s a very, very short version of how and why this works. The ACA (aka “Obamacare”) said small businesses were not allowed to go thru underwriting. Healthy or sick, you all pay the same. However…..insurance companies figured out how to get around that part of the legislation. So, with a little basic underwriting, healthy groups can often save as much as 50% on their premium. Talk about a great deal!

5> Lastly — don’t worry. It will be all over soon, and on January 2, we’ll be back to normal. Open Enrollment will be in the rearview mirror and we’ll have 9-10 months off before we can start panicking again.