NCR: Health Insurance Question

[horsewishr]

My husband's employer just sent him a "Spousal Exemption Form" for health insurance. It states:

Spouses who are employed and eligible for benefits at their place of employment must be enrolled in their employers' plan for primary medical coverage if their employer contributes towards the cost of the plan.

The cover letter stated:

In reviewing our 2008 records, it appeard you have not completed your Spousal Exemption Form. This form is a requirement for this year's enrollment process due to the change in spousal medical coverage.

Is this legal?? What business is MY employment status to my husband's employer?!?!?

I only work PT, and benefits for PT employees are outrageous where I work. We have "family" coverage through my husband's employer.

Has anybody else had to deal with this kind of crap??

The form makes you give the Name, Address, and Telephone number of the spouse's employer!!! This MUST be an illegal invasion of privacy.​

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, I know nothing but I don't think that's considered an invasion of privacy if they are using it to figure out if you are applicable to be insured by your spouses company. If they know who your employer is they can figure out what type of healthcare is offered to what types of workers and go from there if they will allow you to have joint coverage under his plan. If their policy is to not insure someone who does not work for them or is a dependent of someone who works for them, they have to be assured you are a dependent or can't get healthcare otherwise. They can't find out what plan you do or don't have, just what the other company does or doesn't offer.

But alas. I am nieve so I can be totally wrong.

 

[Rosalind]

It depends on your state. Generally, no, it's not illegal. What they are saying is, if your employer makes a contribution or subsidizes health insurance where you work, even if that contribution is $0.01/year, then you are not qualified to be covered under your spouse's "family" plan, although your kids probably are. They are trying to kick you personally (not your kids or your spouse, just you) off their plan so they can save $$.

I don't know of any insurance company anywhere that respects people's privacy. Sorry, but their business is basically getting all in YOUR business. Their job is to minimize risk, so if they can do that by kicking people off their plans who create risk, they can justify it to the state insurance commissions by saying, "it's not as if these people have no other options, we're not leaving them without insurance, we're just minimizing our own risk by forcing them to take another option."

 

[EweSheep]

I used to be a claim adjuster and have done those kind of reveiws on claims on daily basis....pain in the butt if you ask me!

No, it is not illegial for them to ask about your employer. If your employer does pay for your co workers and their staff any health coverages, and no matter how expensive it is, you have that option whether or not you want to be covered under your employer's health plan. Like my sis in law, she could not afford the coverages and expenses under her own employer's plan, her hubby's insurance coverage decided not to cover her on the basis of her refusal to have coverage under her employer's plan. Now she has to get a private coverage from BCBS on a very, very basic coverage, not covering surgery or in hospital stays or ER care. So in order to get on your hubby's coverage, you must have coverages under your own employers plan and whatever left over on bills, your hubby's coverage will pick up the rest of it. However be careful of those denials, they can get very expensive and many months of fighting it to get your insurance and his to pay it as due. Whatever your insurance will not pay, most likely his coverage will not either with very few expections to his policy.

To me, it all boils down to employers are getting savvy and want to pay LESS for coverages or drop them altogether on their employees. You will need to get a letter from your employer why you want to deny their plans and they will hav eto put down the cost of the plans, medical, dental and vision plans and see if hubby's employer plan can cover you if the cost was much higher than his plan.

Its Russian roulette when a spouse wants to go on hubby's coverage when her employer does offer coverages on their employees. I think the politicians at the Hill are trying to change it but they are dragging their feet.

 

[mdbucks]

When my wife worked we had to fill this out, got a certified letter from her boss stating that due to her hours of employment she was not eligible for thier insurance. He said since she was late a couple times a week she was no longer considered FULL time for insurance reasons, she still got vacation/sick days. With you stating thet there is health coverage for PART time employees, not sure if this would work.