How Do I Add Dependents to My Health Plan?
Adding dependents to your health insurance plan can be done directly through your insurance company's website, marketplace plans, or employer if you have job-based insurance coverage. For job and employer-based insurance, policyholders can only add dependents during the respective open enrollment period or if the insurance plan has a special enrollment time frame.
How To Add Dependents
Overall, adding dependents to your health plan is fairly simple. However, it's essential to be aware of your plan's dependent requirements, restrictions, and enrollment period. Policyholders can only add dependents during open enrollment periods or special enrollment time frames for both marketplace and employer-based plans. Open enrollment is the yearly period in the fall when people can enroll in health insurance plans for the following year; this period typically goes from November 1 to January 31. Special enrollment periods fall outside the traditional time frame and only allow those who meet the criteria to enroll in a health insurance plan.
When you add dependents to your health plan (be it employer-based or from the marketplace), you are essentially enrolling in a new health plan as you go from individual to family coverage and therefore fall under the enrollment period guidelines.
Market-Place Plans
With marketplace plans, you can only add dependents during the yearly enrollment period starting November 1 or during the special enrollment period if you have a qualifying life event. The chart below explains what is classified as a life event.
Qualifying Events for Special Enrollment Period
| Qualifying Life Event(s) | Event Specifics |
|---|---|
| Changes in the Household | If you or anyone in your household:
|
| Changes in Residence |
|
| Loss of Health Insurance | Anyone in your household loses qualifying health insurance in the past 60 days OR expects to lose converge in the next 60 days |
| Leaving Incarceration | |
| Becoming a United States Citizen | Newly eligible for marketplace plan after becoming United States Citizen |
Employer-Based Plans
Like marketplace health insurance, employer-based plans only allow you to enroll in a new plan and add dependents during the open or special enrollment period. Those time frames are determined by the individual plan, so it's best to check with your employer's benefits department for specifics on when the enrollment periods occur and the criteria for qualifying for special enrollment.
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Originally from Houston, Texas, Alexandra is currently getting her Master's in Public Health with a health policy certificate at Columbia University. One of her life goals is to own her own art gallery!