Submitted Photo Health insurance experts say staying on top of your annual medical checkups is one way to ensure your coverage plan is being put to good use. Photo from Adobe Stock.

Enrollment periods for most health insurance plans have wrapped up, and with another coverage year underway, North Dakotans are being urged to learn more about how their plans work so they can maximize the benefits.

Experts said one common mistake is people not knowing specialty coverage like dental and vision is not often included in their main health care plan.

Suzette Krapp, an insurance agent in Jamestown, who mainly helps Medicare enrollees, said it is the opposite for those clients because of their needs. But in general, it is not rare for people to assume they have coverage for something when they actually do not.

“You’ve got to be very, very careful,” Krapp cautioned. “You have to know your product, and it’s that fine writing that’s super important for people to know.”

Krapp stressed understanding the options through any insurance carrier is important and added local independent agents are good sources because they know how annual changes affect options for area providers. She added if you can afford it, you should quickly add coverage for dental and vision, because it can prevent big bills for expensive procedures later. Other tips include making sure you have received your insurance cards to avoid appointment delays and billing issues.

Health care consumers might still feel reluctant to turn to apps and other online tools featuring artificial intelligence.

Amy Jordan, vice president of consumer experience for UnitedHealthcare, said they can be useful when a customer wants to know more about what’s in their plan.

“There’s a lot of messaging that’s coming through our app as we increase our integration with our data and we build AI solutions on top,” Jordan noted. “That’s really where the insights and the opportunities can happen via those digital tools.”

A 2024 poll from the PAN Foundation’s Center for Patient Research found seven in 10 adults with health insurance were not confident navigating their health care plan. Of the group, 25% said they wanted more education to understand how out-of-pocket maximums and deductibles work.

UnitedHealthcare contributes to Prairie News Service for reporting on health care.