Newbie to Health Insurance, Got Offered Options for Health Insurance By Employer and Have A Couple of Questions

Hello, I’m a 24F who recently got their first full time job. I have to decide what health insurance plan (offered by my employer) I want to enroll in, in a couple of days and I’m very confused. Hoping I could get some advice or at least some clarification on things I’ve found on Google.

My employer offers 3 different plans and I’m leaning more towards the HSA plan since I don’t visit the doctor that often and don’t expect to have significant healthcare expenses. I anticipate the usual doctor’s visit and visit regarding vision (since I have glasses).

Q1. What is the relationship between a HSA and FSA? I’ve googled it and it seems that the general idea that you shouldn’t be on a HSA plan + have an FSA at the same time. Is it ok for me to decline a FSA since I would already be on a HSA? Is it common to be on a HSA plan and have a FSA?

My employer and I do not live in the same state (neighboring states). I am working remotely for the time being but will eventually need to relocate once my employer has deemed it safe to go back in-person. The provider they use is a different one than the one I am on now with my family. My parents own a small business so our family’s insurance is not through a larger employer or anything like that so I think it’d make more sense financially to get on my employer’s plan versus staying on my family’s.

Q2. What is the (or is there even a) process for changing your provider (when not in Open Enrollment)?

  • I started in Dec but right after Open Enrollment ended so I was unable to participate in Open Enrollment and I’ve read that getting a job is not considered under “Special Enrollment Period”. I know moving is considered to be “Special Enrollment Period” but I likely won’t be relocating until the spring/summer (though that date is TBD based on covid and my employer). Am I just going to have to be out of network and pay extra all those costs until Nov 2021 since I started my job after Open Enrollment?

Q3. Before I enroll in my employer’s health insurance plan, should I go ahead and take myself off my family’s insurance plan? Not sure if this is more of a question for my employer but if I decide to accept my employer’s health insurance and then cancel my insurance through my family after, would that be a problem?

  • When I’m going through the process to sign up for my employer’s health insurance for the HSA, I have to either “elect” or “waive” on what plan I’d like and it says that “by submitting your HSA election, you are certifying that you are not enrolled in Medicare or covered under other health insurance that is not compatible with an HSA …”

Q4. My family’s used the same doctor and have become great friends with them for many years. I went to my employer’s provider website to see if this particular doctor was in-network or not and it looks like he is. Just out of curiosity, let’s say that this particular doctor was out of network, how do you go about finding a new doctor?

Maybe just a more general question but:

Q5. How do you become more familiar/get comfortable with health insurance terms and processes? I’ve just been Googling and watching YT random videos for the past couple of days but still feel quite confused and would like to gain more knowledge about the world of health insurance.

I’m sure some of these questions could be classified as stupid so thank you for reading!

submitted by /u/kitkatnat21
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Hello, I’m a 24F who recently got their first full time job. I have to decide what health insurance plan (offered by my employer) I want to enroll in, in a couple of days and I’m very confused. Hoping I could get some advice or at least some clarification on things I’ve found on Google. My employer offers 3 different plans and I’m leaning more towards the HSA plan since I don’t visit the doctor that often and don’t expect to have significant healthcare expenses. I anticipate the usual doctor’s visit and visit regarding vision (since I have glasses). Q1. What is the relationship between a HSA and FSA? I’ve googled it and it seems that the general idea that you shouldn’t be on a HSA plan + have an FSA at the same time. Is it ok for me to decline a FSA since I would already be on a HSA? Is it common to be on a HSA plan and have a FSA? My employer and I do not live in the same state (neighboring states). I am working remotely for the time being but will eventually need to relocate once my employer has deemed it safe to go back in-person. The provider they use is a different one than the one I am on now with my family. My parents own a small business so our family’s insurance is not through a larger employer or anything like that so I think it’d make more sense financially to get on my employer’s plan versus staying on my family’s. Q2. What is the (or is there even a) process for changing your provider (when not in Open Enrollment)?
I started in Dec but right after Open Enrollment ended so I was unable to participate in Open Enrollment and I’ve read that getting a job is not considered under “Special Enrollment Period”. I know moving is considered to be “Special Enrollment Period” but I likely won’t be relocating until the spring/summer (though that date is TBD based on covid and my employer). Am I just going to have to be out of network and pay extra all those costs until Nov 2021 since I started my job after Open Enrollment?
Q3. Before I enroll in my employer’s health insurance plan, should I go ahead and take myself off my family’s insurance plan? Not sure if this is more of a question for my employer but if I decide to accept my employer’s health insurance and then cancel my insurance through my family after, would that be a problem?
When I’m going through the process to sign up for my employer’s health insurance for the HSA, I have to either “elect” or “waive” on what plan I’d like and it says that “by submitting your HSA election, you are certifying that you are not enrolled in Medicare or covered under other health insurance that is not compatible with an HSA …”
Q4. My family’s used the same doctor and have become great friends with them for many years. I went to my employer’s provider website to see if this particular doctor was in-network or not and it looks like he is. Just out of curiosity, let’s say that this particular doctor was out of network, how do you go about finding a new doctor? Maybe just a more general question but: Q5. How do you become more familiar/get comfortable with health insurance terms and processes? I’ve just been Googling and watching YT random videos for the past couple of days but still feel quite confused and would like to gain more knowledge about the world of health insurance. I’m sure some of these questions could be classified as stupid so thank you for reading!
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