Looks like I may not have health insurance next year.

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Cornell Witte

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I'm so stupid.

I miss the "open enrollment" period to sign up for my companies insurance benefits. I may not have health insurance next year. Next week I will contact corporate HR (since the local HR lady isn't very helpful); however, I'm afraid there is nothing they can do? So much for getting the bump cut off my head, and I don't think I will plan my February dental checkup.

I have been working three jobs, and just didn't think about it till Thanksgiving day. I was home alone for the holiday and was going to clean and organize... and that is when I found the post-it note reminder under my desk. I would have used my phone's Microsoft Outlook calendar reminder feature, but it sucks so bad I didn't use it. I need to switch back to Google/Gmail.

Next year may be a hard one for me, I made it through this year with depression and suicidal thoughts.

I feel so pitiful :( Please do not make my mistake, hopefully I have a healthy 2016 because I can't afford not to.
 
When did the open enrollment period end? If you contact HR soon, they may give you a special enrollment window. I just finished a temp job handling OE calls for a benefits manager, and that was often the advice we'd give to people who just missed the period. Also, if it just ended very recently (within a week or two), they may have a silent extension in place where you can still open enroll.
 
November 18 was the end date. There is a window for "corrections" from December 7 - 11, but I don't know if they will allow enrollment.
 
Corrections may be a very short euphemism for "extended open enrollment but we don't want to make it sound like that so people won't wait until then to enroll."

Give HR a call ASAP and check into it. Even if "corrections" isn't actual open enrollment by another name, they may very well be willing to give you a special window to enroll. If there's any real period of corrections available at all, then they're probably willing to allow full enrollment until the end of that window.

Seriously, give HR a call the moment they're next open. Do not give up on this until you've gotten a definite "no, we absolutely will not do that, you are completely out of luck for 2016" from them.

EDIT: Also, should mention, most companies have what is called a "drop dead" date for open enrollment changes. This is a "secret" date that is the last date they will accept any changes of any kind, outside of mid-year changes due to life events (and the corresponding paperwork involved). That date is the true end of open enrollment, and isn't supposed to be communicated to employees. If you know who the benefits manager is for your company's benefits (whether it's the company itself or a 3rd party), give them a call, too, and see if you're able to enroll. If not, see if they'll at least tell you whether it's past the drop dead date for enrollment yet. Basically, this "open enrollment" thing is much, much more flexible and indefinite than companies want their employees to think, so take advantage of that to push for getting your benefits for 2016 set up.
 

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