• Changing health plans--if your employer gives you a choice of plans
  
• Adding a dependent--if you have a spouse, domestic partner, or new child, now is the time to add them to your coverage. If that person has their own coverage through another source, it may be the time to remove them from your coverage, if keeping them covered is costly for you.

Here's what you need to know:

If you have a family member with no insurance, now is the time to add them to your plan. You usually cannot add a person--or remove a dependent's coverage--at times other than open enrollment, so now is the time to decide. Especially if the family member has some kind of pre-existing condition, this may be the only way to get insurance coverage, and it will almost certainly be cheaper than getting private insurance on your own.

Should you end coverage for a family member who has other insurance? If your spouse or partner has coverage through his or her employer, you may want to look at whether you should keep them covered under your employer's insurance plan. If the cost is minimal to you, it may be best to keep them covered so that your employer's insurance can pick up some of the costs that your spouse or partner's insurance does not cover. When you are looking at costs, be sure to compare the deductibles and co-payments of the plans too.

Make a list of your health care needs. Do you have ongoing health care expenses? If so, would those expenses be paid under another plan? Do you expect to have surgery this year? If so, compare the plans for what hospitals they cover and how much of the expenses they will cover.

Get a summary list of what is covered under each plan. Your employer should be able to provide you with this list. If you do not have one, most health plans now publish a summary list on the plans' web sites. Compare the list of what's covered to the list of your needs. Does one plan match your needs better?

Can you keep your current health care providers? Many plans will give you a list of the providers who accept that health plan. Some of these lists are kept up-to-date and some aren't. To be sure, call your health care provider's office and ask whether they accept the health plan that you are considering.

Get information about the quality of care under a health plan. How does the quality of health care rate under this health plan? Are members of the plan satisfied with their care? Is there a long wait to get appointments? Read the article, "Assessing the Quality of Health Plans." A few states also now offer report cards on managed health care plans. Keep in mind: A report card that is three years old may not reflect the quality of care that a health plan can offer you today. Also, local information can be important. A health plan that is doing a good job in another state may not do as good a job in your area