Open enrollment season: Experts share tips for saving on health insurance

Pennsylvanians navigating increased health insurance rates this open enrollment season Advertisement Updated: 6:10 PM EST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jordan Cioppa Reporter Pennsylvanians navigating increased health insurance rates this open enrollment season Updated: 6:10 PM EST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jordan Cioppa Reporter PITTSBURGH — As Pennsylvanians prepare for the holiday rush, it’s also time to decide on a health insurance plan for 2027. Open enrollment is in full swing, meaning it is the one and only time of the year for people to make changes to health insurance plans or enroll in a new one. Advertisement The open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act coverage kicked off on Nov. 1. “Since ACA started in 2014, we’ve just seen the rates go up and up and up,” said Lev Osterweil, the owner of Health Insurance Experts. In September, the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance announced approved ACA premium rate increases. People who purchase health insurance on their own were hit with an average increase of 15.97%. For small businesses, the average increase was 10.28%. “The most common mistake is paying for the most expensive plan, just thinking it's the best plan for you,” Osterweil told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Jordan Cioppa. “And nine out of 10 times in health insurance, that is not the case.” Osterweil said it’s important for people to look at their plan every year because everything from deductibles and out-of-pocket limits to networks can change. “You do want to list your prescriptions. You want to list your doctors. You want to make sure your doctors are in the network,” Osterweil said. “And if you have any surgeries you know of, then you can do a little math ahead of time and say, ‘OK, I'm going to have this deductible and then it’s going to be this co-insurance.’” Pennsylvanians who don’t receive health insurance from work can shop around for a plan on Pennie , the state's official health insurance marketplace. Pennie enrollees could see lower coverage costs because of federal premium tax credits. Enhanced tax credits expired at the end of 2025, doubling prices and driving 85,000 people to drop Pennie. Despite this, Pennie executive director Devon Trolley said there are about 47,000 uninsured people in the Pittsburgh area alone who likely qualify for tax credits. “We have about 400,000 Pennsylvanians who currently get coverage through Pennie, and over 10% are losing tax credits, but could easily get them back,” Trolley said. Trolley added that Pennie just needs more information that enrollees can provide by updating their application during open enrollment. Experts all agree that putting the correct income is critical. “There are increased federal penalties if your income is out of date,” Trolley said. “If you get more tax credits than you should because your income is not current, you will have to pay that back at tax time.” When it comes to Medicare , Aaron Zolbrod, president and founder of the Health Insurance Store, recommends planning ahead. “This is the first year where almost everybody on Medicare needs to take some sort of action because we’ve had premiums go up for people on supplements, we’ve had hospital co-pays go up for people on advantage plans, we’ve had drug deductibles go from zero to $700,” Zolbrod said. Zolbrod highly recommends people take a look at their plan during open enrollment for Medicare, which started on Oct. 15 and will last through Dec. 7. “The worst mistake seniors make is just they get caught in this familiarity,” Zolbrod said. “…If you have a mom or dad, aunt or uncle, you got to make sure they're opening their books. You got to look at what those plan changes are. That's my best piece of advice for everybody on Medicare this year.” Experts also advise against opening links on social media advertising “private health plans,” as they could be a scam. Open enrollment for ACA coverage ends on Dec. 15. Coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2027. Make WTAE a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Anthony Clark, a comedian and actor who starred on 'Yes, Dear,' dies WATCH: Baby bear captured on Ring camera 'ding-dong ditching' home at 2 a.m. Teen who has autism found alive after missing for nearly a week in the Australian woodlands Microsoft confirms Outlook outage affecting users worldwide