Question about Health Insurance??

Question

I wanted to get added on to my husbands health insurance, but the secretary who works for the company he does(it's a small construction company) says I can't get added until open enrollment which is in June..is this true? How does that work? The insurance company is Blue Cross Blue Sheild. Is there only one enrollment per year?

Answer 1

Your employer controls the open enrollment period.

You are limited in making changes to the plan to only during that time period.......unless......you have what is considered a "significant life event." Birth of a child, death of a spouse, marriage, divorce.

However, since an insurer can't force you to pay premiums you don't need, you can usually drop coverage at any time. So if you were on your husband's plan and you end up getting a better deal through your work, for example, you can drop at any time and not have to pay the premium.

You just can't add coverage or make a significant change to the coverage (other than dropping it) unless you are in open enrollment.

If it's too late for you to get in....you can easily buy something called "temporary health insurance" from any of a number of sources. This is simple and very inexpensive coverage that is good for no longer than 6 months. Sometimes you'll have to do this twice if you just missed out and need like 10 months coverage or something.

One of the best short term or temporary health insurers is Assurant. They have flexible plans, good rates and you can sign up and pay on the Internet and be covered immediately.

Answer 2

Businesses usually have open enrollment once a year, during which time employees can change the particulars of their health plan. Open enrollment can refer to health plans that accept whoever applies, at least for a certain period of time, although that doesn’t seem to apply here. The secretary is probably right in that your husband probably can’t add anyone to his plan until the next open enrollment period. I would ask the secretary/human resources department/benefits administrator whether an exception could be made or whether talking with BCBS might make any difference (it probably won’t).

Check out MostChoice.com if you’d like to explore insurance options in the interim. You can get a short-term policy through BCBS so you can get more familiar with their network. Additionally, things have changed so that in some cases “plus one” insurance such as that you might be getting through work is actually more expensive than a private policy (thought this is an exception to the general rule that group health insurance is less expensive than individual health insurance).

You can find MostChoice here: http://www.mostchoice.com/health-insurance.cfm

Hope this helps,
Barnes@MostChoice

Answer 3

If you were married within the last month, or were dropped from your previous health plan in the past month, you can be added even through it isn't the open enrollment period.

Otherwise, you will have to wait until the next Open Enrollment period. In the meantime, you can purchase an inexpensive major medical policy from a local independent insurance agent. I was able to obtain coverage between jobs for a reasonable cost a few years ago. I can't remember any of the specifics, but you should be able to get quotes pretty quickly if you call a couple of agents in your town.

Answer 4

I would recommend you to visit this site where you can compare rates from different companies: http://COVERAGE-FINDER.NET/index.html?src=2YAgpwcyWN73

RE :Question about Health Insurance??
I wanted to get added on to my husbands health insurance, but the secretary who works for the company he does(it's a small construction company) says I can't get added until open enrollment which is in June..is this true? How does that work? The insurance company is Blue Cross Blue Sheild. Is there only one enrollment per year?
Follow 20 answers

Answer 5

Group insurance works that way. Unless there is a qualifying event, like marriage, child birth or adoption you can't just add someone. You'll have to wait until the open enrollment period to change the policy and be added.

I've worked in the insurance industry with employer groups.

Answer 6

Did you just get married, or very recently? If so, you should be able to be added to his policy any time. However, if it's an existing marriage, probably you do have to wait until open enrollment. I'm just basing this on the policies of companies where I've worked, and you should check with the HR person at your husband's company, or the insurance company.

Answer 7

Unless there is a qualifying event (you had insurance but lost it in most cases) you can only enroll at the renewal which is considered open enrollment. For example, I got laid off in March, so I enrolled under my spouses plan at that time. Getting laid off was my qualifying event because I lost employer sponsored health coverage, and chose not to elect COBRA.

Answer 8

I think you're being mislead by your husband's secretary. Might as well call the insurance company for inquiries or browse this site http://www.upkb.com/healthinsurance.php for health insurance tips and info.

Answer 9

Yes this is true. Once the insurance is put into force and you were not added, there has to be "an event" that allows you to be added. For example, if you lost your job, just got married, etc... Otherwise you do have to wait until the enrollment period.

Answer 10

I would suggest you to ask your husband to contact the insurance company directly..I guess you can get added. These are some tricky questions which should get resolved by the insurance company..

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