If you are getting divorced, you know that your wellbeing may suffer because of stress. What’s more, divorce is expensive and you may be worried about paying for health coverage after your divorce. Many of us receive healthcare under a partner’s health insurance plan. If this is the case, it is important to know what our health and dental insurance options are after divorce.
If you are a federal employee, you likely have Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) enrollment and your health and dental insurance can cover family members, including your spouse. If you are divorcing, however, your spouse’s coverage will end on the date your divorce is finalized. With health insurance, you may be able to extend your coverage for 31 days while you secure a new health plan. With vision and dental insurance, however, it is not as simple.
Spouses are still covered by family dental insurance even during legal separation. However, if a couple is divorcing, a spouse can terminate this coverage either during an Open Season or on the day the divorce is finalized. This is true for federal government workers across the US. Therefore, you may still be able to visit your family allergist in Washington DC a week after your divorce, but if you are looking for, say, a Cary NC dentist or optometrist, you will have to have your own health insurance or pay out of pocket.
Luckily if you have children together, they should still be covered under your spouse’s health insurance. Children can remain covered under your Self and Family Health Insurance until age twenty-six. There are some circumstances where this might change before age twenty-six, but a child under twenty-six is not required to live with you or be your financial dependent to receive health insurance benefits. You are responsible for knowing when a family member is no longer eligible for health and dental coverage. The agency will not inform you. Keep up-to-date on this information so that you know if and when your child can visit a Washington DC allergist or a dentist in Apex NC. Do not wait until an emergency to find out.
Remember, children or not, divorce is a stressful period full of changes. It is important to know your situation, especially when it comes to your health. For federal workers around the US and their families, the strain of divorce can lead to minor and even major illness. Talk to your health insurance provider and save all the literature from your health insurance plan. During this difficult and confusing time, it is wise to protect your health. At the end of the day, it is your most valuable asset.