Open enrollment is here. Know what to consider when choosing a health plan.

Open enrollment is here, and many people are comparing health insurance options for the coming year.

Cost matters. So do premiums, deductibles, and physician networks. But one question is just as important: How easy will it be to get the right care, when and where you need it?

Health care can feel unnecessarily complicated when appointments, lab work, imaging, prescriptions and specialists are spread across different locations and systems. That can leave patients coordinating care, repeating their medical history and tracking down what is covered.

In traditional health care, insurance is often separate from the doctors, specialists, pharmacists and other clinicians who deliver care. That separation can put patients in the middle: making appointments, requesting records, scheduling follow-ups and confirming coverage.

Kaiser Permanente takes a different approach by connecting care and coverage within one system, so the experience is designed to work together from the start.

At Kaiser Permanente, doctors, specialists, pharmacists and care teams use one, shared electronic health records to provide coordinated, convenient and personalized care. That means everyone involved in a member’s care can work from the same information.

For busy Northern Virginia families balancing work, school, commuting and community responsibilities, that connection can make care easier to manage and more convenient.

Consider a member who sees a primary care physician for persistent fatigue. They may need bloodwork, follow-up care or a specialist referral. In Kaiser Permanente’s integrated system, that information stays connected through the member’s electronic health record.

Results are available through the shared electronic health record. If needed, the specialist can review the same record, see lab results, and coordinate with the rest of the care team without waiting for records to be transferred to a separate office.