In this post we help you: Reduce the risk of losing your mind on the health insurance marketplace

The annual open enrollment period for health insurance is almost upon us, but don't let that worry you. If the inaugural year was defined by its glitches, crashes, and public relation disasters, this year will be defined by its near invisibility to most shoppers—or that's the plan, at least. If all goes well, there's a good chance you won't even need to visit your state's insurance exchange starting November 15th, unless you want to shop for a new plan.

During the previous enrollment period we wrote a terrific guide outlining how to choose the right health insurance policy, and we created a handy checklist for beginners that will save you a lot of frustration as you shop the marketplace. Everything from last year's enrollment still applies, so be sure to check both out if you're a first time shopper.

If this is your second year with the exchange, things may be a little different this time around, and hopefully a lot easier than last year. We've summarized this year's steps below, but look at our new 2015 health insurance checklist for detailed explanations of each step.

2015 health insurance enrollment quick list

See the 2015 health insurance checklist for more details

Determine whether you need to update your marketplace information. If you don't, then decide whether you want to shop for a new policy anyway. Otherwise, wait until November 15th (or thereabouts) for your marketplace and insurer notices. And remember that if you buy a new plan, you must do it by December 15th to ensure uninterrupted coverage into 2015

Be sure to bookmark the full checklist, and visit it often over the next several weeks. With a little luck and some thoughtful preparation, you should be able to breeze through the enrollment period without encountering any problems! Well, at least with fewer problems than last year? ...We'll just cross our fingers and see what happens.

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