Most will agree, open enrollment for Covered California went a lot smoother this year compared to last year. Though there were a few hiccups, you still have time to correct them before you are locked in.

If you enrolled in the wrong plan, or you have changed your mind, you have until February 15 to make a change. Some of our local hospitals were unable to come to an agreement with the same insurers as last year, so don’t assume you can still see the same providers and go to the same hospitals. Use this time to check once more with your doctors and other providers to be certain they are still in network.

You may receive a bill for your premium that is much higher than before. Check the statement closely. Were you receiving an advance tax credit which is now gone? If so, you probably didn’t renew permission for Covered California to verify your income. Log on to your Covered California account and select “renew permission” on the right hand menu of actions. Covered California will then verify your income level and other qualifying statistics and calculate your monthly tax credit amount. This takes some time so do this as soon as possible. Follow up with a call to your insurer. You may be stuck paying the full premium for a month until the issue is resolved.

If you enrolled directly with an insurer and want to change your plan, most have a simple form or even web page to do this. For example, Anthem uses changemycoverage.com as a simple way for you to identify who you are, what plan you have, and what other plans are available in your area.

Enrollment through Covered California means they are your gatekeeper. Your insurer is not going to make any changes to your coverage or even change your address in their system unless it comes through Covered California. They now have twice as many customer service agents answering the phone calls as they did last year. Their mission is simply to help you get coverage so, if you really feel you have an issue you can’t resolve, call them. They want to get you enrolled before the February 15 deadline.

Finally, remember that during the year, if you have changes in your income, employment or family situation, or if you move to another county, you can then choose to re-enroll in another plan, either through Covered California or directly with an insurer.

Verify your plan as soon as possible. Be sure it’s the plan you want and has your provider of choice in network for 2015.

Randy Alan Foulds is a certified, independent health and life insurance agent in La Quinta. Foulds & Feldmann Insurance Agency can be reached at 760-777-9400.