Domestic Partner on Group Health Insurance
I recently terminated my domestic partnership. My ex-partner is still insured under my group plan. Do I need to tell my employer that we are no longer domestic partners during my open enrollment period in February?
Actually, you need to notify your employer immediately of any changes in your domestic partnership status. Once you terminate your domestic partnership, this person is no longer eligible to be included on your group health insurance policy. The same holds true for a spouse who loses eligibility due to divorce. If your employer has been paying a portion of your domestic partners insurance premium, they can hold you liable for reimbursing their share of the premium payment, back to the date when you terminated your partnership. And, in the event of a major claim, the insurance company may even elect to deny payment based on the fact that this person is not eligible to be covered under your policy. How long ago did you terminate this domestic partnership? Also, what state do you live in and how many employees work for your company?
I mailed the termination of partnership letter to the state 2 weeks ago. We put the date of separation down as November 1st. I live in California. I work for a small company. We only have 10 employees.
Comment by Anon — December 11, 2006 @ 9:33 am
You need to contact your employer immediately and inform them of this separation. Technically, your ex-partner became ineligible for your coverage on November 1st. We are not sure about the notification deadline for notifying the insurance company of this event, but it might be 30 days. Unless you notify the insurance company within a specified period of time, your ex-partner may not be eligible for continuation of coverage under Cal-COBRA. If your employer is not familiar with the deadlines and regulations, contact your insurance company for verification. Sorry, but we can’t advise you further on this matter. We are not familiar enough with the California domestic partnership laws and how they affect continuation of health insurance benefits under COBRA.
Comment by admin — December 11, 2006 @ 9:34 am
Can my wife take me of her ppo health insurance? I have separated from my wife and we are not living together anymore. We are not separated legally yet, so there is no official agreement between the two of us about health insurance. She has full time employment and until now I have been covered by her ppo health insurance, but now she has cancelled my health insurance. I would think this is illegal? I was told by people ‘in the know’, that a spouse can’t remove her or his spouse from their health insurance until there has been a divorce settlement? I tried calling the insurance company, but they told me that my wife had done so during open enrollment and that she is allowed to do so. I am disabled and need this health insurance. Is what she has done legal?
Comment by Jorge — June 12, 2009 @ 11:40 am