Mandate Spouse's Open Enrollment as a Qualifying Event

As health insurance costs rise, many find that their current plan is no longer their most cost effective option. A spouse's plan may now be the better option. However, it is unlikely that both plans have open enrollment at the same time. This effectively forces families to stay with an inferior or more costly plan. Plans should be forced to consider a spouse's open enrollment period a qualifying event to allow consumers to select the best option. This would also foster more competition in the health insurance industry.