What is Open Enrollment? Open Enrollment is the period each year when anyone who needs to purchase their own health insurance plan can compare and enroll in plans for the upcoming year. You will need to purchase your own health insurance if you don't already have coverage from an employer, a spouse or parent's employer, TRICARE, the VA, or Medicare. When is Open Enrollment? November 1st marked the first day of open enrollment for 2020, and most Americans have until December 15th to enroll in a health insurance benefits plan. Selected coverage will take effect, in most cases, on January 1, 2020. Why is Open Enrollment important? The most important takeaway for independent contractors is that they must enroll during this period. Enrolling outside of this period is only possible if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Special Enrollment Periods are only available when experiencing an event such as getting married, losing coverage, having or adopting a child, or moving to a new state. How do I get started? Open Enrollment can be a confusing time for independent contractors due to the ambiguity surrounding workplace benefits in non-traditional work settings.  To assist our Experts with this important process, we've teamed up with Catch. Catch makes it easy to find and enroll in health insurance plans that work best for you. You'll have access to all of the plans on the marketplace, and Catch will help you get the tax credits and subsidies you qualify for.  Catch also helps users set up and manage tax withholding, saving for vacation and sick days, and planning for retirement. Get started today at catch.co/simplrflex.  You can also learn more about enrollment at https://www.healthcare.gov.