Every person gets one health story, and one private Family Stork email address every clinic already knows how to use. Tired of managing health records for yourself and everyone you love? Family Stork organizes them for you automatically.
Most employer open enrollment windows close in late November or early December. You're choosing between plans, comparing premiums and deductibles, deciding whether to switch. But the part nobody warns you about: the records you lose access to when your old plan ends.
If you switch insurers — or even switch plan tiers with the same carrier — your portal login, claims history, and EOB archive may disappear on January 1. Every receipt from that ER visit in March. Every specialist referral your pediatrician filed. Gone, unless you save it first.
Here's what to pull together before the deadline.
Your current insurer's portal holds every EOB from the plan year — each one a record of what was billed, what the plan paid, and what you owe. If you switch carriers, those EOBs won't transfer.
What to save:
Most portals let you download EOBs as PDFs. Do it now. If you have a Family Stork record, forward the EOBs to your private @families.familystork.com address — they'll file themselves into your timeline.
When you switch plans, the first question is always: are our doctors in-network? That question is impossible to answer if you don't have a clean list.
For each family member, write down:
This list does two things: it lets you check in-network status for the new plan, and it gives any new provider a starting point if you need to transfer care.
Every plan has a formulary — the list of drugs it covers and at what tier. If a medication your child takes daily is Tier 3 on the new plan instead of Tier 1, your out-of-pocket cost could triple. You can't check unless you have the full list.
For each family member on a current prescription:
If you're caring for an aging parent on your employer plan, their medication list is especially critical — and often the hardest to assemble. How to get your parent's medication list in one place →
If you're switching to a new primary care doctor, they'll want to know what happened this year. Annual physicals, lab results, imaging, referrals — each provider holds a piece. You can request copies before your current plan ends.
Under federal law, you have the right to a copy of your medical records from any provider. Most offices will provide them within 30 days of a written request. Don't wait until January — request now while you still have active coverage.
How to ask your doctor for a complete copy of your medical records →
If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), most plans require you to use the balance by December 31 — or lose it. Some employers offer a grace period (up to March 15) or a $610 rollover, but not all do. Check your plan documents now.
For HSAs (Health Savings Accounts): balances roll over indefinitely, but your eligibility to contribute depends on being enrolled in a high-deductible health plan. If you're switching away from an HDHP, you can keep and use the HSA but can no longer add to it.
Records to save:
FSA/HSA deadline December 31 — the health records to organize before your benefits expire →
Open enrollment is the one time each year (outside a qualifying life event) when you can add or remove dependents. If a baby arrived this year, a child aged off the plan, or a spouse's coverage changed — update now.
Each dependent should have their own organized health record: immunizations up to date, well-child visits documented, specialist notes filed. When the new plan starts January 1, every provider in the new network should be able to pick up where the old one left off.
If you're adding a new baby, start their health record now — the complete baby medical records checklist for new parents →
Plans change. Employers change. Insurers change. But your family's health story shouldn't start over every January.
Every person in your family gets a private @families.familystork.com email address — shown on their record. Give it to any clinic, lab, pharmacy, or insurer. They email records to it; the records file themselves into one timeline. When the plan changes, the record doesn't.
$99/year for your whole family — or about $10 a month.
It depends on the carrier. Some insurers maintain portal access for a year or two after your plan ends; others shut it off on January 1. The safest approach: download everything now. EOBs, claims summaries, and any pre-authorization letters should be saved before your coverage ends.
No. Your medical records are held by your doctors and hospitals — not your insurer. Switching insurance plans does not move your records anywhere. If you're also switching providers, you need to request records from each one separately. Your insurer only holds billing and claims data (EOBs).
A new primary care physician typically needs: your medication list, recent lab results, immunization history, a summary of any chronic conditions, and records from specialists you currently see. What a new doctor needs on day one →
Start a record for each family member: yourself, your spouse, each child, and any dependent parent on your plan. For each person, gather their provider list, current medications, recent visit summaries, and immunization records. Family Stork does this automatically — one private email address per person, and clinics send records directly to it.
Most employers set open enrollment windows between late October and mid-December, with coverage starting January 1. Your exact deadline depends on your employer — check your benefits portal or HR department. If you miss it, you typically can't make changes until the next open enrollment period (unless you have a qualifying life event).
Tired of managing health records for yourself and everyone you love? Plans change — your family's health story shouldn't have to start over. Family Stork organizes it for you automatically.
Start your family's record — free