Can my health insurance cover my girlfriend?

“To sum it up…”

Health insurance generally only covers your spouse
You may be able to get your girlfriend on the policy if you are in a common-law marriage
Without common-law marriage or legal marriage, you can’t add your girlfriend to your health insurance policy,
but you can help her find affordable coverage of her own using comparison sites and free quotes

Health insurance coverage these days is more vital than ever as health costs continue to go up. However, it has actually become more difficult for some people to get health insurance coverage.

Many jobs do not offer health insurance coverage as part of the benefits package. This is because the cost to employers is extremely high and continues to go up. All employers will with 50 or more full-time employees are required by the Affordable Care Act to offer health insurance benefits.

However, most businesses in the United States have fewer than 50 employees and are not required to offer health insurance benefits. If you find yourself working for one of these companies and you did not have health insurance coverage, you may want to get on your boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s coverage.

Can you add your girlfriend to your health insurance? There is a very specific set of criteria that must be met, and they both require a marriage of some form.

If you aren’t married, you can help your girlfriend get health insurance by entering her zip code above and getting free quotes!

Who is eligible for coverage on a health insurance policy?

As a general rule, only your children and spouse are eligible for coverage on your health insurance policy. There are certain exceptions to this rule, however.

For example, if you have an elderly parent that you are taken care of, they may be eligible for coverage on your policy. Whether or not that is the case depends on the policy, the insurer, and on the details of your situation.

Why Spouses Are Eligible For Coverage But Boyfriends and Girlfriends Are Not

The main reason that spouses are eligible to be covered on the health insurance policy of the person they’re married to it is because the insurer assumes that this relationship will last and be more stable, i.e. less of a risk to insure.

A health insurer does not want to deal with claims from a boyfriend or girlfriend which may be disputed by their former partner if they break up. Insurers already find themselves in this sort of situation fairly commonly due to divorces, and it costs them a great deal of time and, indirectly, money.

One Situation Where Girlfriends May Be Covered

As previously mentioned, boyfriends or girlfriends are not eligible for coverage on their partner’s policies as a general rule. However, if a couple has been together for a long time, they may be considered to be common-law married. This law states that a couple is legally married even if they have not applied for marriage licenses themselves.

The definition of common-law marriage varies from state-to-state. Most often, a couple has to live together for seven years to be considered common-law married.

If you think that your relationship may qualify for this status, do research into the laws of your state. If your relationship does qualify as a common-law marriage, you will likely be able to add your girlfriend to your health insurance policy.

What to Do If You Can’t Get Your Girlfriend Covered

If you can’t get your girlfriend added to your policy, you may have to try to help them obtain health insurance coverage in an alternate way. Of course, they could be added to your policy if you got married.

Many people do not wish to get married simply for health insurance purposes, but it does happen. If you decide that you do not want to do this, then you can always help them compare health insurance quotes online and find an affordable policy for themselves.

The Increase In Premiums After Adding a Girlfriend or Boyfriend

If you are able to add your girlfriend or boyfriend to your policy due to getting married or having a common-law marriage, you should be prepared for your premiums to go up sharply. Just how much they’ll go up depends on several different factors.

The most important of these factors is any pre-existing conditions they might have. However, age and gender also play a large part in determining health insurance premiums.

It is likely a good idea to have an agreement worked out with your girlfriend or boyfriend beforehand in which they’ll pay for the increase in your monthly premiums after you add them to your policy.

Can your girlfriend switch to your health insurance policy to save money?

Some people find themselves in a situation where they have a health insurance policy, but their boyfriend or girlfriend has a better health insurance policy. If this is the case for you, you may have considered adding your girlfriend to your policy or vice versa.

Unless you’re eligible to do this, i.e. you two are married, then you’ll have to get coverage on your own. You could always contact their health insurance provider and apply for a policy.

Staying On the Policy After Marriage

If you are common-law married and get on a policy with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you do not do need to do anything differently after you get officially married. As far as your insurer is concerned, you’ve already been married.

You do not have to worry about being kicked off the policy or having the premiums increase further. In fact, you are not even bound to notify the insurer that you have gotten officially married. There’s no point in doing so, as it won’t change anything.

Covering Your Girlfriend on Your Health Insurance

In conclusion, your health insurance may be able to cover your girlfriend or boyfriend in certain situations. If you think you meet the criteria for a common-law marriage, you can go ahead and try to get your insurer to add your partner to the policy.

Keep in mind that the insurer may resist this at first, as this is an untraditional way of getting health insurance coverage. However, if you can prove that your relationship needs the criteria for a common law marriage in your state, you will be able to get your partner on your health insurance.

Enter your zip code below to get free health insurance quotes. If you’re helping your girlfriend find health insurance, enter her zip code below. Together, you can find a policy that’s affordable and reliable.