Enrolling in Health Insurance Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Enroll through Stride
The Gist
You have a lot of options when it comes to shopping for health insurance. It can become difficult to make heads or tails of your options when jumping between open tabs or receiving offers from different brokerages.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there are more plans available than ever.
Visiting a doctor or hospital while uninsured can lead to costly bills that might add up over time.
Stride can help you sign up for your own health insurance for the first time or shop for a new plan with ease.
In This Article
In Short
Shopping for health insurance is complicated. Premiums, deductibles, subsidies, exchanges — just reading about it can feel like a stock market report. But don’t nod off, we need to talk about health insurance. Despite the ACA passing over ten years ago, some 27.4 million people still lack health insurance, according to Forbes.
If you are part of the 8.3 percent of American adults without health insurance, we have good news: It doesn’t have to be this way. Because of the ACA, millions of Americans get health care for a monthly premium of $10 or less. Depending on your ZIP Code and income level, you might qualify for one of these subsidized plans.
First-time health plan shopper? Recently out of work and looking for an affordable plan? Just want to shop around to see if there’s something better out there? Stride is here to take the headaches out of enrolling in a health insurance plan. No matter what brings you here, keep reading to learn more about health insurance and how to enroll with Stride.
Why Do I Need Health Insurance?
Health insurance is, in its simplest form, a contract that you buy into via monthly payments that help pay for the cost of health care. Your policy, also known as a “plan,” might also give you other benefits, including app-based services, discounts on medical equipment, and more.
While a hospital has a duty to grant every person a certain level of care, they are allowed to deny access to specific services or charge you the full price for your procedure or treatment. An overnight stay in the hospital can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and that doesn’t include your bills for therapy or aftercare.
Even if you feel healthy today, that small monthly premium can save you big money if something unexpected happens. This peace of mind can grant you a lot of freedom — especially if you’re thinking about starting your own business or working as an independent contractor.
I’ve Never Had My Own Health Insurance Plan — How Do I Enroll?
As you may have noticed, there’s a pretty broad range of premiums offered by different insurance companies. This differs from employer-provided insurance, which is usually more inexpensive because your employer pays for some or all of your coverage. That said, there are affordable options out there — don’t forget, ACA stands for “Affordable Care Act!”
Typically, you can only enroll in health insurance during the annual open enrollment period, which usually runs Nov. 1 through Jan. 15.Open enrollment periods for employer-provided plans may differ.
You may be eligible for what’s called a special enrollment period that allows you to enroll in a new plan or modify an existing policy if you have a qualifying life event. Some qualifying life events that would grant you a special enrollment period are:
A death in the household
Getting married or divorced
New additions to the family by birth or adoption
Moving to a new ZIP Code or college
Losing existing health insurance
Losing your job
Changes in income that impact your eligibility for certain plans like Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP
If you have a qualifying life event, don’t wait! You have a 60-day window to enroll in new coverage. Don’t let this become stressful — Stride is here to help.
Who Is Stride?
Stride is not an insurance provider. We’re a brokerage. Back in your parents (or your parent’s parents) day, that might’ve been someone wearing suspenders in a room filled with printouts locking you into the day’s best rates. Nowadays, a health insurance brokerage is any third-party company that helps you shop for and enroll in coverage.
Enrolling through Stride Health is just as easy as enrolling through an ACA exchange or directly through the company’s website — but with Stride, you get to see every single plan eligible to you. Simply provide your ZIP Code, date of birth, and other basic health information, and your Stride insurance enrollment will be all set in the blink of an eye! Oh yeah, and you can sign up for vision and dental coverage too.
How to Enroll With Stride
Here are step-by-step instructions about how to shop for and enroll in health insurance through Stride. If anything still seems unclear, please visit our frequently asked questions or chat with one of our insurance experts.
Step 1: Your Information
First, you’ll tell us a little bit about yourself, including your:
ZIP Code
If you are purchasing insurance for yourself or for your household
Date of birth
Sex
Whether or not you are a tobacco user
If you have a preferred provider — this is important because we can use this to recommend plans that have your provider in-network.
Then we’ll collect some more granular health information — don’t worry, your data will not be sold for marketing purposes. This step is simply so we can find the best plans and estimate your annual health care spending needs.
At this point, you’ll be asked to share:
What prescriptions do you use
What pre-existing conditions do you have
Step 2: Savings
Then the fun part starts: the savings! Everyone’s looking to save money nowadays, and if you’re shopping for new insurance, Stride will help you find the most affordable options possible by searching for ACA subsidies that lower the cost of your coverage.
Click “Find my Savings” and answer a few more questions about:
The number of people on your tax return
Your annual income
You’ll instantly see an estimate of your savings and monthly premiums — without even giving us your email address!
If you’re the easily distracted or indecisive type, this might be a good spot to stop and save your work. Create an account, and you’ll be able to pick up where you left off.
Step 3: See Your Recommended Plans
By default, you’ll see your top three recommend plans. The top plan is your best fit. To learn more about the plans, click “Details” under each one.
Under “Details” on your number one recommendation, you’ll find a unique section called “Why is this plan the best?” A few short bullet points will explain why this plan best suits your needs based on the information you shared. All the other plans use this section to break down the pros and cons of each policy and explain, “Does this plan give me what I need?”
For each option, you can also learn about the following:
Estimated annual costs
Doctors
Prescription drugs
Surgery and treatment
Emergency care
Pregnancy
Out-of-network coverage
Step 4: Compare Plans
The last step before you enroll is to compare plans. Click the “Compare” button under any plan, and you’ll be presented with the option to select any other plan and click “View Comparison.”
You’ll see an easy-to-understand page that shows the two plans side-by-side, including:
Monthly premium
Deductible
Maximum out of pocket
Estimated usage
If your preferred provider is in network
Pre-deductible and post-deductible payments for doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, surgery and treatment, emergency care, pregnancy, and out-of-network coverage.
Next step, well … there isn’t a next step. It’s as easy as hitting that “enroll” button. We’ll ask a few more questions to verify your identity, address, and income level, and that’s it! You're Enrolled!
The hardest part is over. Next, you’ll be notified when your coverage begins. Even if you haven’t received physical copies of your insurance cards, there may be a virtual card available via email, PDF, or app that will allow you to use your health insurance benefits.
What Other Kinds of Insurance Can I Get Through Stride?
Since you’ve already got your health profile setup, stick around (or click around) for a while.
With Stride, you can also sign up for:
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Accident insurance
Disability insurance
Additionally, you’ll get access to:
Prescription discounts
Local deals and discounts
Our free Stride app, an essential tool for any freelancer. Track your earnings, expenses, mileage, and more all in one app!
