If you’re running your own practice, enrolling for your own health insurance might be on your year end checklist. 

It’s open enrollment season for 2023. Though there have been strides to make health care easier to get, if you’ve never had insurance coverage that isn’t through your employer or someone else’s plan, getting your own health plan can be daunting. 

We’ve compiled some resources to make it a bit more manageable. 

When can I apply for insurance?

Usually, you can only buy your own insurance during the Open Enrollment Period. This year’s Open Enrollment is November 1, 2022 until January 15, 2023. 

If you want health care coverage starting January 1, 2023, your deadline to enroll is December 15, 2022. 

There are also other qualifying life events when you can enroll, called Special Enrollment Periods: 

• Change in employment status (loss of job, reduced hours, quitting a job, etc.)
• Loss of student health coverage
• Gaining a dependent through birth, adoption, or foster care—pregnancy doesn’t qualify
• Change in relationship status, such as marriage or divorce
• Aging out of being a dependent (removal from parents’ insurance)
• Moving, if it puts you out of your health benefits’ coverage
• Exhaustion of COBRA coverage
• Change in immigration status
• Loss of coverage due to death of insurance holder
• No longer qualifying for Medicaid or Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS)

Where do I get insurance?

To purchase your own health insurance, you’ll go to your Health Insurance Marketplace. Though most states access the same one on HealthCare.gov, some states have their own. 

You can easily find out which one you’ll need when you create your HealthCare.gov account but we’ve also linked the Marketplaces for states where our providers operate. 

Florida and Virginia: HealthCare.gov

Washington, DC: DC Health Link

Maryland: Maryland Health Connection

New Jersey; Get Covered New Jersey

How much will I pay for insurance?

The cost of your insurance depends on what services you want, how many dependents you have, and your income level. 

HealthCare.gov has a tool to calculate what insurance you can get.

At some income levels, you may qualify for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). 

Your income level will also determine how much you pay in premiums—the cost you’ll pay for your insurance each month. It can also mean you qualify for lower deductibles and copayments. 

Usually you’ll be able to choose from the following tiers of coverage, which doesn’t influence the quality of care—just the costs and what’s covered: 

• Bronze: Lower monthly premiums than Silver, but your deductible is higher and you pay more when you get care.
• Silver: Higher monthly premium than Bronze, but your deductible is lower and the plan covers more of your costs.
• Gold: Higher premiums than Silver, but your deductible is lower and your plan pays more when you get care.
• Platinum: Highest monthly premium, but your deductible is very low and your plan pays nearly all your costs of care.

Learn more about sliding scale health insurance costs.

What do I need to apply for insurance?

Along with your personal information, addresses, and payment information, you’ll want to know how many people you’ll put on your plan and your household income.

This checklist will help you prepare for your enrollment process.