Can I keep my current health insurance as my primary?

Question

I have been on my spouses health insurance for 14 years. My new job gives me automatic coverage after 1000 hours.

My new insurance is not as good as my current and I do not want to change. Will it be a problem to keep my spouses insurance as primary and only use mine as secondary?

Answer 1

You can give it a go, but I seem to remember in a former life that the carriers will coordinate benefits in the case of double coverage.  When they do, again I seem to remember that they go by your birthdates, month and day only, and that whoever's is earlier, that's the primary.  Guess they had to do it someway.

Answer 2

You cannot.  If you have insurance under your job, it automatically becomes primary for you and any other coverage is secondary.  The alternate is to decline your employer's coverage and continue as you are.

Answer 3

Yes, its a problem. You can't choose which plan is primary. Your plan is primary for you.

Answer 4

no.

because you have your own insurance through your job, it automatically becomes your primary.

BUT if your insurance doesnt cover something your spouses does cover, then you would use that card(or ID#) when you go for that service.

Answer 5

According to national coordination of benefits guidelines, your insurance must be primary for you. If your insurance is not as good-are you required to take it? Look at the co-ordination of benefits clause in both insurances and see how they will co-ordinate benefits. It's likely that they will only pay the maximum that they would have paid as primary, so there is no benefit to having both-and you will also be out the premium for your (new) insurance as well.

Example:Your insurance has a 60% benefit for a particular service and your husband's has an 80% benefit. Your insurance will pay 60% (plus you will have to pay the premium every month from your wages) then the secondary will pay an additional 20% because they will only pay UP TO A MAXIMUM BENEFIT OF 80%.

But if your new insurance will cover something that you need (or want) that your husband's doesn't, then it might be wise to have both.