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Know your options before open enrollment

Avoiding gaps in health care may be more important than ever before.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — COVID-19 has been scary and has affected all of us in different ways. But with a global pandemic, going without healthcare coverage can be a real risk.

Megan Schhmidt, vice president of sales & client services at Priority Health, gave 13 ON YOUR SIDE some tips as we approach open enrollment starting Nov. 1.

Primarily, Schhmidt seemed to emphasize the importance of knowing your options and your family needs. Other tips she provided include the following:

  • Know when your current coverage ends and know that there are short-term plans if unemployment has left you with a gap in your coverage.
  • Know what you need today and plan for what you need in the future.

With COVID-19, our health and the health of our loved ones is at an increased risk, and that means our wallets are too.

"We look at, you know, health insurance and we have to remember that it really is that catastrophic —It's an insurance plan," Schhmidt said. "So it's not just about, 'what's my co-pay when I go to the doctor?' 'What's my co-pay when I go to the pharmacy?' These type of events that happen can mean that you're in the hospital-based situation where you may be staying in the hospital and acquire significant costs, so going uninsured means that you have those costs to absorb. And again, there are great opportunities for payment plans, but that's what insurance is."

If you need help sifting through your options, Priority Health can help. Open Enrollment runs Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

RELATED: COVID-19 vaccine will be free when approved, health officials say

RELATED: US records 99,000 COVID-19 cases Friday, setting new world mark

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