should we switch to family insurance coverage now?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
My husband and I are expecting our first in April, 2013. Right now, we each get insurance through our offices, but we think it will be more cost effective to consolidate into one family plan once the baby is here. If we go that route, do we need to make the switch this November/December during open season? Any advice from those who have traveled this path before us would be very welcome!
|
Anonymous
|
You should check with HR but most places have a 30 day window after the birth of a child to get on the insurance. Most group plans that include maternity care include newborn coverage for 30 days after the birth, and in that time you contact your company and they put your baby on your plan.
Never hurts to check, but this is a fairly standard thing and it's not like babies are only born during open enrollment! |
Anonymous
Agreed...most employers consider the birth of a child as a qualifying event to allow for a change in insurance. There is usually no need to change over prior to the birth. |
Anonymous
|
Congratulations!
Agree with PPs. I would check. Switching now may mean you have to change OB/GYNs and where you're delivering so if you're happy where you are... |
Anonymous
|
I think OP is actually saying that right now, each of them has individual coverage (individual coverage for two people is cheaper than a family plan under one employee).
Come April, if they don't switch into a family plan under either one of them now, they could end up with a family plan for one parent and the new baby, and an individual plan for the other parent. That's more expensive than a single family plan for all. OP, could you and your husband first decide which family plan you want to go with once baby is here? Then ask the appropriate HR office (yours or his, whichever plan you go with) whether both the spouse and the new infant can be added to the family plan at the same time, upon the birth of the baby. If that is indeed the case, it'll be easier to do it that way. |
Anonymous
| I went through this with DH's insurance. Basically, the birth of a baby is a qualifying event to add the BABY to the insurance, but not the other spouse. (Currently he and I are both on my office's insurance, but I'm not sure how I feel about going back to work after the baby's born. Luckily, losing another source of insurance is a qualifying event to add the whole family, so if I decide not to go back we can all get on his instead.) |
Anonymous
| I had a similar issue as explained by 1918 - your dh's company might not allow you to be added to their policy, if you are a 'working spouse' who can get coverage from their own employer. The baby can be added, but not all companies will allow spouses to be added if that spouse could get their own coverage. |
Anonymous
| During the open season, you should consolidate to be an individual + spouse (which is cheaper then family, at least at my work). Then, when you have the baby in April, it is a qualifying event and you can change to family coverage then. Adding a baby is pretty easy -- just get the form from your HR department before you deliver, fill it out with the birth date, then mail it back to your company. |
Anonymous
| Check with your employer. Some also offer a cheaper "parent + child" policy in addition to a "family" (consisting of both spouses and children). |
Anonymous
| You may also just want to do it now to have one less thing to do once the baby comes. Adding a baby to an existing family plan is just a phone call. Switching from individual to family due to a qle usually involves forms and more effort. |
Freeman
Member Offline
Member Offline
I've seen similar statements about newborn coverage for 30 days after birth, but from what I've read of most plans, that isn't entirely accurate. For every plan I've had, you have 30 days to add a newborn to an insurance plan, at which point they will be retroactively covered from birth. However, if you do not add them to the plan, then they get no coverage at all. That is very different from actual coverage for 30 days after birth. You should always check with your particular insurance plan to be sure of how it will work. As for the actual question, I would contact your benefits people and discuss the options with them, since it really depends on how your plan is managed. |