Patients Are Picking New Health Plans. Will They Find Your Practice in January?

Right now, millions of people are choosing health plans for 2027. Some will keep their doctor. Some will switch plans and find out in January that the practice they used is out of network. Either way, a lot of people will search for a new doctor in the next ten weeks, and most of them will start with one question: does this practice take my insurance?

If your website, your Google profile and your front desk do not answer that question clearly, a patient will move on to the next practice in the list. Here is what to update before January.

What is happening with health plans right now?

Two enrollment windows overlap this fall:

The AP also reported that some Medicare Advantage plans are leaving certain areas for 2027, so some enrollees there will have to pick a new plan. Employer plans often renew January 1 as well. The result is the same for a practice: a wave of people with new insurance cards and new questions in early January.

What do these patients search for?

They usually search a specialty or service plus their town, then add their plan: "family doctor near me that takes" a specific insurer, "pediatrician accepting new patients," "dermatologist in network." Then they compare the practices on the map, read reviews and click through to check the details. I wrote about that whole path in How Patients Choose a Doctor Online. In January, the insurance step is where most practices lose people.

What should we update on our website?

• One insurance page for 2027. List the plans and networks your billing team has confirmed for next year. Put an "updated" date at the top and a line asking patients to call to confirm their specific plan. Do not list a plan because it was accepted last year.
• Say whether you are taking new patients. Near the top of the home page and on each provider page. If one provider is full and another is not, say so.
• Make the insurance page easy to reach. Link it from the main menu, the footer and every booking button. Patients should not have to dig for it.
• Answer the January questions on the page. What to bring to a first visit, how to transfer records, and how long it takes to get a new patient appointment.

What should we update on Google?

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a patient sees, before your website. Before the holidays:

1. Set holiday hours for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, using Google's special hours setting, so the profile does not show you as open when you are closed.
2. Check the booking link. Google lets health providers add appointment and virtual care links. Make sure yours goes to a page that works on a phone and does not dead end.
3. Add your health services in the same section, so the profile matches what patients search for.
4. Post a short update in late December that says you are welcoming new patients in January and links to the insurance page.

Google says local results depend mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete, accurate information makes it easier to match you with the right searches (Google). January is when that accuracy pays off.

What should the front desk be ready for?

Marketing gets the call. The front desk turns it into an appointment. Give your team one short script for the new year: which plans you accept, how to check a plan that is not on the list, the next open new patient slot, and what to do when a current patient's new plan is out of network. A patient who gets a clear answer on the first call is far more likely to book.

This is also the moment to ask happy established patients for a review, the same way every time and with no incentives. Fresh reviews help the practice that new patients are comparing in January.

A simple checklist for the next 30 days

1. Confirm 2027 plan participation with your billing team.
2. Publish or update one insurance page, with a date.
3. Add "accepting new patients" status to the home page and provider pages.
4. Set holiday hours on Google and check the booking link.
5. Write a one page front desk script for January calls.
6. Post a January new patient update on Google in late December.

This is the kind of work we do for practices at The SocialDM. You can see how it fits together on our medical practice marketing page. We do not publish medical or insurance advice; plan details come from your team and are confirmed before anything goes live.

Questions we hear

When is open enrollment for 2027 health coverage?

On HealthCare.gov it runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027, and people who pick a plan by December 15 can have coverage start January 1. Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, with changes taking effect January 1. Some state marketplaces use different dates.

Should our website list every insurance plan we accept?

List the plans and networks your billing team has confirmed for the new year, with a visible "updated" date, and tell patients to call to confirm. A short, accurate list is better than a long one that is out of date.

Can we post on Google that we accept a specific plan?

You can mention it in a Google post or on your website if it is accurate. Keep it general enough that it stays true, and point people to your insurance page for details.

Is it worth updating our Google Business Profile for January?

Yes. Holiday hours, the booking link and the services you offer all matter more when new patients are comparing practices, and Google says complete, accurate information helps it match you to the right searches.

Want to see what a patient with a new plan finds when they search for you? Get your visibility plan and we will show you where you appear on Google, on Maps and in AI answers, and what to fix before January.