How to Add Health Insurance for an Unemployed Spouse
If your spouse lost his job, and health insurance with it, you may be able to add him to your employer-sponsored health plan. Typically, employer-sponsored health insurance plans allow a spouse or child to be added to the policy if there's been a qualifying life event such as marriage, birth, adoption or loss of coverage. Losing or quitting a job qualifies as a loss of coverage. You may also be able to add your spouse to dental and vision insurance.
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Instructions
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Contact the human resources department at your company as soon as possible. Explain that your spouse is no longer employed and needs to be added to your coverage. Ask what you need to do to add him to the policy and how much the premiums will be. Expect to be asked to complete an enrollment form for your spouse and provide proof that he's lost his health insurance.
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Ask your spouse to obtain proof of loss of coverage. Most group health insurance plans are required to provide a COBRA continuation coverage election notice to terminated employees, which proves your spouse had prior health insurance. Your spouse may also be able to obtain a letter from the insurance company or his former employer verifying the end date of his coverage.
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Fill out the enrollment form carefully and completely. If you're mailing it in, make a copy of the completed enrollment form and verification letter for your records.
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Submit the completed enrollment form with the verification letter to your human resources department. Follow up in two or three business days to confirm the enrollment is being processed.
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Give your spouse his new health insurance card when you receive it. If you don't receive a card within two weeks, contact your human resources department and confirm enrollment. If your human resources can't confirm the enrollment went through, contact the health insurance provider directly.
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Tips & Warnings
Contact your human resources department as soon as you know your spouse's employment is ending. You have 30 days to enroll your spouse once his health insurance ends.
Check your pay stub to make sure your increased health insurance premium is being withheld. If it's not, you'll be required to make up the missed premiums, and that can leave you with a much smaller paycheck.
