With the new year almost upon us, it’s about the time where people look at their health insurance plans and see if they need to make any changes.
One notable change people tend to do is add someone new to their health insurance plan. However, it can be a bit tricky knowing who exactly can be added to your plan.
In this post, we’re going to cover some basics on who can be added and the requirements for adding someone new.
Newborns and children
First and foremost, you can add newborn babies to your health insurance plan. They can be added to your health insurance plan as soon as they are born.
You can also add children you adopt or if you become their legal guardian. Most guardianships need to be accepted by the court, though, which means that it’s best to contact them first before adding anyone new.
Your child can stay on your health insurance plan until they turn 26. Once they turn 26, they will have to find their own health insurance plan. There is an exception, though. In certain cases, if you have a disabled dependent child, they could be on your health insurance plan past 26.
Some conditions for adding your child older than 26 include:
- If your child is permanently and totally disabled
- Incapable of employment due to a disabling injury, illness, or condition
- Dependent on their parents for full financial support
Spouses
Spouses can be added to your health insurance plan at any time during the year. When it comes to legal marriages, you need to provide proof the marriage is legitimate and that both parties are legally allowed to get married or in a civil union.
If you happen to get divorced or legally separate, coverage for your spouse will end. In the case of a legal separation, there is some gray area. Some states consider a legal separation as a divorce, while others are more flexible. You would have to check your local state laws to know for sure.
As far as a domestic partnership goes, an affidavit must be signed and sent to the health insurance company before adding your partner.
The affidavit of domestic partnership needs to be signed by both parties and needs some basic information on how long the couple has been together, living together, etc.
Other relatives
Outside of children and spouses, you can add other relatives to your health insurance plan. However, certain conditions must be met.
Some of them include:
- They gross an income of less than $3000.
- They have no one to claim them as a dependent.
- You provide more than half of their financial support.
- You’ve provided housing for them for at least a year.
In the case of adding your parents to your health insurance plan, it varies. Some plans will allow your parents (assuming they met the above conditions) to be added, while others don’t. You would have to check with your insurance provider to see if this is possible.
Coverage consideration
Adding someone new to your health coverage plan gives them the same access to the healthcare you would have. The potential downside is your monthly rates will dramatically increase in price.
You shouldn’t let that deter you, though. The health of your family and loved ones is important, and they should have health insurance.
It can be a pain not to have health insurance. If you’re able to add a dependent who needs health coverage, you should strongly consider doing so.
