Choosing Health Insurance During Open Enrollment
We all understand why it’s important to have health insurance. But with so many options to choose from during open enrollment, finding the right coverage for you or your family isn’t always easy.
At UW Medicine, we know you want health insurance that checks all the boxes. Ideally, our health insurance will:
- cover planned and unplanned medical expenses with out-of-pocket costs you can afford.
- let you see doctors (and use facilities) that provide excellent care.
By choosing a plan that includes UW Medicine, you’ll have access to UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center and our network of primary care and specialty doctors and other healthcare providers.
Insurance carriers with access to UW Medicine
Commercial health insurance carriers
- Aetna (Note: UW Medicine does not participate in Aetna Whole Health plans)
- Boeing BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
- Centivo Embright
- Cigna
- Embright Network
- First Choice Health Network
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington (HMO plans require permission from Kaiser FHP before services can be provided)
- MultiPlan
- Premera Blue Cross
- Regence Blue Shield
- UnitedHealthcare
- Uniform Medical Plan administered by Regence BlueShield
Government programs
- Washington Apple Health (Medicaid)
- Indian Health Service
- Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Note: UW Medicine does not participate in all Exchange plans, click here for more information)
- Washington State Medicaid
- Medicare – Original Part A and Part B
Medicare advantage
- Aetna (Note: UW Medicine does not participate in Aetna Whole Health plans)
- Community Health Plan of Washington (specialty care only)
- Humana
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington (specialty care only)
- Molina Healthcare
- PacificSource Health Plans
- Premera Blue Cross
- Regence Blue Shield
- UnitedHealthcare
- WellCare Health Plans
- Wellpoint (formerly Amerigroup)
Important: Please contact your insurance company to be sure that your care at UW Medicine will be covered. UW Medicine does not participate in every plan that each insurance company offers. Your benefit plan may have specific networks for mental health, vision or transplant services that do not include UW Medicine. In those cases, UW Medicine would be considered out of network and your care here would not be covered.
When and how to change your health coverage
In most cases, you can only make changes to your insurance during an annual open enrollment period — unless you have a qualifying “major life event.”
Understanding your health insurance options
Get the facts about medical insurance and learn how to find a plan that provides the coverage you need.
5 important questions to ask
When choosing or making changes to your health coverage, ask yourself these questions.
Why choose UW Medicine as your healthcare provider
Just like having health insurance can provide peace of mind, so can having the right healthcare partner. You want to feel confident that you’ll receive exceptional care if you or a covered family member becomes ill or injured.
Patients and referring physicians often tell us they trust UW Medicine to provide safe, high-quality and innovative care. So, whether it’s time for your annual checkup or you want to find an experienced spine surgeon, you can count on us for all your medical needs.
Primary care for the whole family
Our primary care team includes hundreds of pediatricians, family medicine doctors, internal medicine doctors and geriatric specialists.
Specialty care for every age and life stage
UW Medicine offers all the specialty care you could possibly need, from dermatology and diabetes care to orthopedics and organ transplantation.
Expert emergency care when you need it most
No one plans to have a medical emergency. But when the unexpected happens, UW Medicine is ready to respond.
The UW Medicine difference
There are many excellent hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. And there are equally outstanding doctors, nurses and caregivers devoted to your health and well-being.
But when you consider what’s most important in a healthcare system, only UW Medicine brings you the highest quality care. That’s because:
We’re connected to the region’s leading medical school.
As the only health system in Washington affiliated with a university and medical school, we’re teaching and training the next generation of medical experts. And studies show that patients who receive care at teaching hospitals like UW Medicine have better outcomes.
We’re a leader in innovative research.
The University of Washington School of Medicine ranks No. 2 in the nation in federal research funding. This funding lets our doctors and other professionals conduct clinical and scientific research to pave the way for new discoveries and safer, more effective treatments. And our patients have access to clinical trials that let them benefit from promising new therapies before they’re widely available.
Our care is nationally recognized.
We’re often named leaders in healthcare quality and safety by independent, third-party organizations that track industry outcomes. In 2023-2024, U.S. News & World Report again named UW Medical Center the top hospital in Washington. We were also recognized as top in the nation in four specialties.
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