Health Insurance

12 Enrolling in Group Health Insurance When you are hired, ask about your deadline for enrolling in your employer’s health insurance. After this deadline, you must usually wait until the yearly open enrollment period to join. However, you can enroll dependents after certain events, such as marriage, birth, or when your spouse or partner loses their job. The open enrollment period is when you make decisions about the insurance choices your employer offers. Your employer will tell you when insurance choices, benefits, and costs change. Self-insured Plans Many large employers are self-insured. The employer sets aside a pool of money and uses it to pay for the health care of employees. Ask your employer if they are self-insured. These plans work like health insurance in many ways. Often the employer will hire an insurance company to manage the plan. • If you have a self-insured plan through your employer or union, you can get help from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. Call the Employee Assistance Hotline at 1-866-444-3272. • If you have a self-insured health plan through your town or religious organization, you can file a complaint with the plan directly or you can file a lawsuit.