Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan

Ever since 1996, when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed, couples who are joined together by marriage are legally entitled to join one another's health plans. That is why, when presented with the various options for healthcare coverage by your employer, you will see options that include family plans. So how do you go about joining your spouse's healthcare plan?

Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan: Compatibility

Healthcare plans are as diverse as anything else, and each one fits a specific type of person. The types of medical care that you will require will depend on the type of healthcare plan you require. Make a list of the classes of physician that you will need to see, and compare that to your spouse's healthcare plan. Will your needs be met?

Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan: Compare

Request healthcare insurance plan brochures or pamphlets from your employer's insurance provider and that of your spouse. Compare the benefits and drawbacks to each plan, including the costs involved. Co-pays, prescription medications and alternative healthcare are all factors that should be compared in order to make an informed decision.

Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan: Deductibles

The deductible is a set amount of money - five-hundred dollars, for example - below which you are responsible for all costs of treatment. For example, you might have a $200 deductible surgery, which means that you must pay the first $200.00 for a surgical procedure and the insurance company will cover the rest. The deductibles for various services should be a large factor in determining whether or not to join your spouse's healthcare plan.

Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan: Time Frame

Most healthcare plans have a set time frame within which you must join your spouse's insurance coverage following the date of marriage. Currently, the most popular time frame is thirty days, so if you don't join your spouse's healthcare plan within a month, you will have to wait until the next enrollment period.

Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan: Request in Writing

Your request to join your spouse's healthcare plan should be made in writing and addressed to a specific individual - an agent, for instance - so that it isn't lost. Make sure that you give your full married name, your maiden name, and disclose any pre-existing conditions.

Joining Your Spouse's Healthcare Plan: Dependents

If you have children that you are bringing into your new family, they can be covered by your spouse's healthcare plan as dependents. You should make the request for your own health insurance at the same time that you make the request for your children, and be sure to include their full legal names, ages and pre-existing conditions. Know that pre-existing conditions usually do not affect the coverage of infants who are born or adopted fewer than thirty days prior to initiating coverage.