Marriage

Marriage is an event that may present you with several decisions affecting your health benefits. This section of the Health Benefits Advisor is for individuals who are about to get married or have recently married and need to make choices about their health care coverage. This section covers special enrollment rights you and your family may have.

It also provides information you should consider when making a choice about health plan options. You may also want to refer to the section on changing jobs if either you or your spouse are relocating or changing jobs as a result of your marriage, and are therefore losing your group health plan coverage.

Which type of coverage would you like to consider?

• Enrollment in a group health plan offered through my job
• Enrollment in a group health plan offered through my spouse’s job
• Medicaid – Government-sponsored health benefits program for certain categories of low income individuals and individuals with special needs and their families.
• State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – Government-sponsored health insurance program for children of qualified families. Each state determines the income level and other conditions for families to qualify. In most cases, eligible families can have income levels well above the national poverty level.
• Medicare - A federally funded health benefits program for people aged 65 and over, and for certain people under 65 who are disabled or have permanent kidney failure.
• Other Health Coverage - This category includes coverage from another source, such as health coverage purchased individually or through a club or association, or any other source not listed above.