How to Add a Spouse to Health Insurance

After marrying, most people see the need to include their spouses in their health insurance. However, the most common question is – can I add my wife to my health insurance? Definitely, yes! Adding a spouse to your health insurance is not a challenging process. However, it can only be done during annual enrolment, immediately after you are married. Here is how you add a spouse to your health insurance.

Where to Start

Since your employer and insurance provider has specific procedures for adding a new spouse as a dependent on your medical insurance policy, a visit or phone call to your human resources department will kick the ball rolling. Your request for medical insurance inclusion of your spouse should be an easy process.

If you have individual medical insurance or if you are self-employed, contact a representative at your insurance company directly.

Without a doubt, a plan administrator will point you in the direction of the correct forms that will change the details of your insurance enrollment, including adding your new spouse. You can pick up the forms at your place of business, have your insurance representative mail the forms to you or download the forms from the plan’s website.

Time Frame for Adding Spouse to Health Insurance 

For most people, how to add a fiancé to health insurance still remains a troublesome affair. However, there is a time frame within which one should add his or her spouse. 

Some insurers allow their policyholders to make changes to their insurance policies only during certain windows called “open enrollment periods”. Such a period may fall during a once-yearly time frame and typically last four to six weeks. However, this window may have come and gone just before you were married. The next open enrollment period may be far in the future.

If your company’s open enrollment period has passed, you will get another option for adding a spouse to your health insurance since you have experienced a “qualifying life event,” which includes things like marriage, divorce, birth of a child and death. Ensure that you enroll your new spouse within your provider’s allowable window for a qualifying life event. Normally, this window is 60 days after your marriage. However, some providers may allow up to 90 days.

Completing Insurance Forms

When adding your new spouse as a dependent on your medical insurance cover, your insurer will require details, including your spouse’s full name, your marriage date, and your spouse’s date of birth. You may also have to avail additional documentation like copies of your marriage certificate, your spouse’s Social Security card, your spouse’s birth certificate, and photo identification for your spouse. If your spouse is employed, you may be required to provide your spouse’s employer information.

Enroll your Spouse During a Special Enrollment Period

A qualifying life event must have taken place if you would want to add your spouse to your Marketplace plan outside of the open enrollment period. The events can include getting married or your spouse losing part or all of their health insurance via their employer.

• If you have a qualifying life event, you have about 60 days from the date of that event to adjust your Marketplace plan.
• If you already have a Marketplace plan and you intend to add your spouse, you should update your existing application. To do this, you will need to sing in into your Marketplace online account and select ‘Report a life change.’ Afterward, you can update your application to include new household members and change to your insurance coverage. Adding a new member of your household may change your eligibility regarding cost savings if your spouse also has an income.
• If you do not have a Marketplace plan, you can start a new application for health insurance for married couples on the Marketplace website to establish whether you qualify for a plan. This process will be similar to open enrollment, except that it happens in the middle of the plan year.

Nonetheless, adding a spouse to health insurance costs should not be entirely huge and unaffordable. 

Enrolling via the Health Insurance Marketplace 

Notably, if you plan to get your health insurance after marriage, you can determine if you qualify for the Health Insurance Marketplace. If you do not have employer coverage, the Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the ‘exchange’ or the ‘Obamacare exchange’ is where you can shop and sign-up for health insurance. Note that only people without employer coverage, Medicaid, Medicare, or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can purchase insurance via the Marketplace.  For more information, contact health insurance today.

References and Resources 

Change the details of your insurance enrollment

How to add fiancé to health insurance