Compare health plans at open enrollment

Fix it yourself in 3 steps

1. Download the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) for each plan you're considering, from your employer's benefits site or your state or federal Marketplace. Write down roughly how you used care last year (doctor visits, prescriptions by name only, any planned procedure) without diagnoses, member IDs or account numbers.
2. Paste the prompt below with the plan numbers and your usage notes. Check every figure in the table against the SBC; if anything doesn't match, correct it and ask for the table again.
3. Take the questions it lists to HR, the Marketplace help line or the insurer (for example, whether your doctors and medicines are covered), then pick and enroll yourself on the official site before your deadline, and put the deadline on your calendar.

Copy this prompt

Help me compare health plans for open enrollment. Plans (from each plan's Summary of Benefits and Coverage): [for each plan: name, monthly premium, deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, copays/coinsurance for doctor, specialist, urgent care, ER and generic/brand drugs, HSA-eligible yes/no, network type]. Who's covered: [me / me + spouse / family]. Rough use last year: [e.g. 4 doctor visits, 1 specialist, 2 regular prescriptions, any planned procedure], no diagnoses. Rules: 1) Use only the numbers I give you; if a number is missing, write 'not given' and don't guess. 2) Make a side-by-side table of the plan numbers. 3) Estimate yearly cost for each plan (premiums plus what I'd pay for care) in three cases: a quiet year, a year like last year, and a worst case where I hit the out-of-pocket maximum. Show the math. 4) List 5 questions to ask before choosing, such as whether my doctors and medicines are in network. 5) Don't recommend a plan and don't give medical, tax or financial advice; point out trade-offs only. Stop after the table, the estimates and the questions, and wait for my corrections.

Type your details in the boxes above the message, then tap Copy & open. Leave a box empty if you're not sure.

Tips from people who've done it

• Use the official Summary of Benefits and Coverage for each plan; marketing pages often leave out the out-of-pocket maximum and drug tiers.
• Check the provider directory and drug list (formulary) yourself for the doctors and medicines you rely on; a cheaper plan that drops them can cost more.
• Skip diagnoses, member IDs and Social Security numbers. 'Two regular prescriptions and a specialist every quarter' is enough for the math.
• Dates differ by plan: HealthCare.gov's 2027 open enrollment runs Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027 (enroll by Dec 15 for Jan 1 coverage); state Marketplaces and employer plans set their own deadlines.
• HR or benefits teams handling employees' health details should use a business plan of their AI tool with a signed BAA, or keep personal details out of the chat.

Agents people used for this: Grok Bot, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude.