Health insuranceis complicated.Dave makes itunderstandable.

Sometimes. Marketplace coverage generally requires enrolling during Open Enrollment unless you have a qualifying life event — such as losing other coverage, moving, marriage or a new child — which opens a Special Enrollment Period with a limited window. Some products sold outside the Marketplace have different enrollment timing, but they may also apply underwriting or cover less. Confirm the rules that apply to your situation before assuming either way.

It depends on whether that doctor participates in the specific plan's network, not just with the insurance company. Networks differ plan to plan and change over time. The reliable approach is to verify with both the carrier and the provider's office for the exact plan you are considering.

Neither is better in general. A PPO usually offers more network flexibility and specialist access without referrals, at a higher premium. An HMO usually costs less and coordinates care within a narrower network. The right answer depends on which doctors you want to keep and how much flexibility you would actually use.

That depends on how often you expect to use care and how much you could comfortably absorb in a difficult year. A higher deductible lowers the premium and raises what you pay when you use care. Look at the out-of-pocket maximum alongside the deductible — it describes your ceiling.

It is the most you would pay for covered services in a plan year. After you reach it, the plan generally pays 100% of covered in-network services for the rest of the year. Premiums do not count toward it, and neither do services the plan does not cover.

Coinsurance is a percentage of the cost of a covered service that you pay after meeting your deductible. If a plan lists 20% coinsurance, you pay 20% of the negotiated cost and the plan pays the rest, until you reach your out-of-pocket maximum.