Requirements For Adding Your Children As Dependents

If you have children, theyre probably the first people that come to mind when talking about dependents. Generally speaking, you can include any child who fits the following criteria:

• Age: Your child has to be under the age of 26.
• Relationship to You: For a child to qualify as your dependent, he or she needs to be your biological child, your stepchild, your adopted child, or a foster child you are taking care of. If your child has other sisters, brothers, half sisters, half brothers, or children of their own, you can also include them on your health insurance plan.
• Length of Residency: A child only qualifies as your dependent if they have lived with you for at least six months.
• Income Contribution: Although your child can be your tax dependent while working and contributing to their own expenses, they cannot be their own primary source of support. This means a childs income must be less than half of the cost of their support expenses to qualify as your dependent.
• Tax Filing: A child cannot be your dependent if they file a joint tax return that year.
• Other Claims: A child cannot be claimed as a dependent by more than one household. So, regardless of your relationship, if someone else claims your child as a dependent, you cannot.

Adding An Internationally Adopted Child

If you are covered under a self-administered account, you need to complete an MSP Account Change Request .

If you are enrolled under a group plan administered by an employer, union or pension office, you need to complete a Group Change Request .

Your form must be submitted with photocopies of documents that support the childs name and immigration status in Canada. If the child has been granted Canadian citizenship, provide a copy of his/her Canadian citizenship card or Canadian passport. Otherwise, if Citizenship and Immigration Canada has issued the child a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document that indicates the adoptive parents names, a copy of this document is usually sufficient. If the child either holds a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document that does not include this information, or holds a different immigration document, two items are required:

• A copy of the childs current immigration document, for example his/her Confirmation of Permanent Residence, Permanent Resident Card , or Temporary Resident Permit, and
• A letter from the Director, Adoption Branch, Ministry of Children and Family Development, to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, stating that the Ministry has no objection to the adoption .

If the child is being adopted from the United States and arrives in B.C. before an immigration document has been issued, include a note to this effect and a copy of the letter described previously, with your completed form.

How To Port Health Insurance After Marriage

Marriage is one of the most important milestones in a persons life and denotes an occasion when a person moves onto the next stage of responsibility. Among the various changes that get implemented and the core areas that get impacted, the financial sources and in fact, the complete financial portfolio is one of the most important ones. When a girl gets married, she not only welcomes a new change in her very existence but also welcomes a new shift in her life. This includes changing her name, becoming a part of a new family and taking on a new responsibility as well. No doubt, this impacts her financial status as well and this includes her fund-allocation, financial resources, budgetary processes etc. One of the important parameters in this domain is the health insurance cover that may be in place for her. After all, before marriage, she may be under the cover of a particular health insurance plan which will have to be revised after marriage. This is where the importance of porting a health insurance plan comes in. Porting a health insurance scheme is very important and must be done to ensure sufficient coverage at all times.

There are several ways in which a health insurance plan can be ported after marriage. The important ways in which this can be done are as follows:

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What About Removing A Spouse From Your Health Insurance Policy

Removing a spouse from your health insurance plan has time sensitive requirements as well. You may change your coverage from employee and spouse to employee only during the stated open enrollment period. If the change is because your spouse wishes to enroll in his or her own companys plan, be certain the open enrollment times for both businesses coincide.

Death or divorce would both be qualifying life events and terminating spousal coverage can take place outside of the open enrollment period.

Adding a spouse your health insurance requires spot-on timing and professional expertise. If youre a business owner, partnering with a trusted team of experts in the insurance industry will give you and your employees peace of mind and the tools to do things right.

Remove Spouse Or Child

If you are removing a spouse, you will be required to upload one of the following:

• A divorce decree
• A notarized statement or affidavit signed by you and/or your spouse or
• A statement dated and signed by you and/or your spouse, including
• The date of your divorce or separation
• Full names for you and your former spouse
• Your former spouses current address, or an indication that the new address is unknown and
• Account Numbers or PHNs for you and your spouse

If a family has applied for and been deemed eligible for MSP supplementary benefits, a spouse establishing coverage on their own account will maintain eligibility for the current year, after which they must re-apply for supplementary benefits on their own account.

If you are removing a child, you do not need to upload supporting documentation. However, the child must have coverage under another account. A child 19 years of age or over will be set up on their own account.

Request MSP Account Change

Once the form has been submitted, a reference number will be displayed. Please allow 21 days for account change requests to be reviewed and processed. If your request is successful and no additional information is required, your account will be updated. You will receive a letter from Health Insurance BC if additional information is required.

For more information about adding a spouse or child to your account, or to submit your request using alternate methods, please review the information below.

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When The Unexpected Happens

You may also add a spouse to your policy if you show proof of a qualifying event. In the case of health insurance, this would be the loss of spouses employer-sponsored coverage. This could be either because they lost the job, or because a reduction in work hours made them ineligible. Electing to terminate coverage or failure to pay the premium does not qualify for the special circumstance or as a qualifying event.

Ways To Update/port Your Family Health Plans

• Family floater plans: Family floater plans are ones in which an entire family is covered under a single insurance premium payment. It is a popular method of changing insurance after marriage, as with minimal paperwork, the newly-wed woman can be included in the mans existing family health plan. We have individual health insurance plans as well where husband wife can get cover.

• Purchasing new family health plans: This is relatively simple. It is a completely new health insurance policy in which the husband and wife are covered under a single premium. Remember, however, that younger married couples pay a lower premium than older newlyweds. In many cases, it is also considered prudent to buy a new plan, even if amily floater plans are also in effect. As the old saying goes, better to have and not want than to want and not have.

• Porting the husband into the wifes existing health plan or vice versa: If the wife has a robust health insurance policy that also gives varied benefits at reasonable rates, she could choose to port her husband into her existing health plan. This is done with ones marriage documentation and various procedures including a medical test, etc. Depending on things like income status and other factors, the couple can then choose to pay the premiums equally, lessening each ones fiscal liability in the process.

This blog is written by Dr. Kavita Ganesh Asst. Vice President, Health & Accident Product Underwriting

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Do I Have To Cover My Spouse On My Health Insurance

As two individuals come together in the bond of marriage, they need to make many decisions that will shape the course of their lives together. One thing that many new couples take for granted has to do with insurance coverage, and more specifically health insurance. If you ever wondered, Do I have to cover my spouse on my health insurance? youre at the right place.

While its true that many married couples opt for combining their health insurance coverage, thats not always the best decision.

Regardless of which option newlyweds choose, they need to make a decision quickly because of something known as a special enrollment period, which couples qualify for after they experience a qualifying life event . You will only have 60 days to either alter an existing healthcare plan or buy a new one, and the countdown starts from the moment you exchange your I dos.

Now, lets have all your questions answered regarding health insurance for a spouse and explain all possible health insurance options and their pros and cons in this article.

State Laws Involving Divorce Differ

The rules involving health insurance and divorce are somewhat different in a few other states, says Susan Sonkin, compliance specialist for EBS Capstone insurance brokers in Newton, Massachusetts.

In Massachusetts, we have an insurance rule that says fully insured plans must continue to offer the former spouse coverage as if the divorce had not taken place, she explains.

The former spouse may remain eligible for coverage on the employed spouses plan for no additional premium until either spouse remarries or the employed spouse loses their eligibility, Sonkin says. The employed spouse loses eligibility for the plan if they change employers or die.

Also, the former spouse may not be eligible for coverage if the couples divorce decree states the spouse doesnt have to provide their ex with health insurance coverage.

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What Options Do You Have About Medicare

If you are aged 60+ and going through a divorce, don’t feel alone. Many more people your age are going through a divorce in today’s world than in generations past. While you are married, you are eligible for free Medicare to part A insurance. This would be provided either through your work history or through your spouse’s work history. Medicare taxes must have been paid for at least 40 quarters of your working life.

However, once you get a divorce, you still have options for Medicare benefits depending upon your situation and your ex-spouse’s situation. You can also pay for Part A insurance under Medicare if neither you nor your spouse meets the work history requirements for eligibility.

Tricare Coverage For Military Families And Parents

TRICARE is a healthcare program for U.S. service members and their family members. With TRICARE, if you have a dependent parent or parent-in-law and are on active duty for more than 30 days, your dependent parents or parents-in-law can get care in military hospitals and clinics. They also can enroll in TRICARE Plus, which is a primary care program offered at some military hospitals and clinics.

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What Is The Difference Between Medicare And Medicaid

Medicare and Medicaid are two separate, government-run programs. They are operated and funded by different parts of the government and for the most part, serve different groups.

Medicare is a federal program that provides health coverage if you are 65+ or under 65 and have a disability. The amount of your income does not matter as long as you have paid into Medicare for the requisite amount of time.

Medicaid is a state and federal program that provides health coverage if you have a very low income. You can be eligible at any age if you meet qualifications.

If you are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid , you can have both. They will work together to provide you with health coverage and lower your costs.

Adding A Significant Other To Your Insurance Policy Can Help You Save Money In Some Cases

Adding multiple vehicles to a car insurance policy can often save you money. If youve been dating someone for a while, you may be wondering, Can I add my girlfriend or boyfriend to my car insurance?

The short answer is yes, but it will depend on your situation. In this guide, our review team addresses when to add your girlfriend or boyfriend to your car insurance policy and when not to. We also discuss some of the best car insurance companies in the industry.

If youre interested in making a change to your insurance policy, we recommend getting several auto insurance quotes from top providers so you can compare them and find the cheapest auto insurance coverage for you.

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Choosing The Right Plan When Both Spouses Have Employer

Picking the right health insurance plan once you get married is an important step that should not be taken for granted.

When it comes to employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, its important to note that your employer shares the costs of premiums with you. Your employer is the one that selects the plan options. Additionally, premium payments from your employer are not taxed at the federal level, and the portion of premiums you pay is usually excluded from taxable income.

However, choosing the right health insurance plan when both spouses already have employer-sponsored health insurance can be tricky. This is why its always best to explore both options, spousal coverage and dual coverage.

Spousal Carve-Outs

Spousal carve-outs are a type of health insurance plan businesses use to keep healthcare expenses down by limiting coverage for an employees spouse. The working spouse rule is another name for this sort of plan.

Dual Coverage

When it comes to dual coverage options, you each enroll in coverage via your work and cover each other and the entire family with your plan. In other words, all members of the family will have health insurance coverage from not one but two insurance plans. This is referred to as dual coverage. Maintaining two policies will be more expensive, but it may give additional coverage in some circumstances.

To figure out whats best for your family, compare these two coverages and total expenses with both plans.

Affordable Care Act

Spousal Coverage Not Required

Employers are not required to offer coverage to spouses. The Affordable Care Act requires large employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees and their dependent children. But there’s no requirement that employers offer coverage to employees’ spouses.

That said, the majority of employers that offer coverage do allow spouses to enroll in the plan. Some employers offer spousal coverage only if the spouse does not have access to their own employer-sponsored plan.

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On The Health Exchange

If youre among the nine million Americans on the federal health exchange, youll likely be concerned about its views on domestic partners. When signing up for coverage, youll be asked who is in your household. Youre only supposed to include a domestic partner in this if you share a child together or if you plan to claim this person as a tax dependent.

Its important to note that this is set up to steer you toward the best plan for your situation, not to make things more difficult for you. To include someone in your family plan, theyll need to show that they are dependent on you financially. Otherwise, your domestic partner may be better off simply signing up for the exchange separately.

Who Can You Add To Your Health Plan

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Insights:

You can typically add your spouse and children to a health insurance plan, but its ultimately up to your employer or health plan.

Health insurance is a valuable commodity and getting added to a family members health plan can be vital to both your health and wallet.

However, who you can add to your health insurance is limited. Common questions people have are:

• Can I add my parents to my health insurance?
• How long can you stay on your parents health insurance?

Lets look at those questions and other common questions about who you can add to your health plan.

Key Takeaways

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Can I Add My Parents To My Health Insurance Plan

Health plans typically limit the definition of dependents to a spouse and children. Even if a parent is a tax dependent and lives with you, you typically wont be able to add the person to your health coverage. The same is true is the parent isnt yet eligible for Medicare.

Gisonny says that theres no federal mandate that an employer health plan must cover an employees parents. Some plans may, but theyre in the minority.