[USER]

Health insurance question. Please don’t come at me, what’s done is done. Hindsight I wouldn’t have dropped him. Been working through divorce since mid 2024.

I told my ex early November I was dropping him form my insurance for 2025. No feedback.

I completed open enrollment, let him know it was done around 11/30. No feedback. A few weeks later he said his open enrollment isn’t until mid-year.

He just shared yesterday he’s been working with HR and can’t do anything until the open enrollment. CA 6 month mandatory wait expires in 3 weeks, but he’s dragging it out (he won’t come to the table for mediation or respond to my proposals). So, no life event on the horrizon.

He’s healthy, but if something bad happened we’d both be on the hook since we’re still legally married. Covered CA open enrollment closed 1/31.

The question: what kind of health insurance can he get right now? Ministry health share? Which one?

He’s not religious, Muslim background… ideas & recs?

Thank you!

[Mark]

There are short term medical plans available. Also there are other insurance plans that mimic ACA plans out there. I’m a broker but I’m only licensed in Texas.

If you need help DM and I’m sure I can refer you to a broker that is licensed in California

[Elizabeth]

Sounds like he’s playing games with you. I’m so glad you are divorcing because this sounds horrible.

[Amy]

The fact that you’re asking rather than him means that he’s probably not going to be covered until he can get covered through his employer – if he even bothers to sign up for that.

Health share is not health insurance. It may or may not pay, and there is no regulation that can help to make it pay if the health share company decides not to pay.

But it may be better than nothing.
For health insurance, he’s out of luck for group plans.

He could have signed up for ACA (Covered CA) during their open enrollment period, which has now ended.

Loss of coverage from you job was a qualifying life event that would have allowed him to sign up for coverage at his job (or for ACA) for the 30 days after the coverage ceased, but that’s apparently passed.

Finalizing the divorce would also be a qualifying life event that would allow him to sign up with his employer, but he doesn’t seem to want to proceed with that.

He may be able to get a private insurance plan, which probably won’t cover any pre-existing conditions, and may be very expensive. It may require a physical or some other type of underwriting.

He needs to see an insurance broker who handles health insurance if he want

Yes, you’re right, especially since you’re in a community property state – you are responsible for his bills, including medical bills, incurred during your marriage.

Since he doesn’t seem to want to take responsibility to get his own insurance, you would have been better off to use the finalization of the divorce as a qualifying event to drop him from your coverage then.

[Stephanie]

Google short term health insurance. There are providers for terms up to 3 years at reasonable costs if a higher deductible is chosen.

[Meghan]

Him losing coverage is a qualifying life event. He can get his own coverage at work. But he only had 30 days to enroll after the loss of coverage.

[Valerie]

This isn’t your issue. He should have contacted HR right away to enroll due to a life change event. He is an adult, this is his issue to figure out.

[Lisa]

You could file for legal separation to create an event for him to sign up again. BUT in my state a legal separation delays your divorce by a full year at minimum.

It would also trigger things like spousal and child support orders.

It sounds like you are working toward a dissolution. You can force him to move faster by filing for divorce. Filing will put both of you in front of a judge under court timelines.

The first step is that the court will order you to try to negotiate and then mediate under a set timeline instead of him taking his time to come to the table for the dissolution.

It takes several “we couldn’t get it done” appearances in court to why the ordered negotiations and then mediation didn’t work before a divorce trial date is set.

Usually that’s enough fire to motivate any “chill” spouse to do something.

[Alicia]

Talk to your divorce lawyer asap. Maybe there is a way to get him re-enrolled on your policy.

My understanding is that it is illegal to remove a spouse from health insurance while a divorce is still pending.

[Ann]

I don’t think you’re allowed to drop him until you are officially divorced.

Have u called your hr to see if you can add him as you made a mistake or your lawyer?

[Jill]

He should be able to still get insurance through his work because of a qualifying event shouldn’t he?

I don’t think he needs to wait for open enrollment.

[Antonella]

Divorce is a qualifying event. For whatever reason they say no, there is cobra from your insurance that would at least hold him over for 3-6months.

[Joel]

I think his only options are probably COBRA or a private health insurance plan. I don’t think there are enrollment restrictions for a private plan.

From personal experience I know you have 60 days to enroll in COBRA from the date of separation or the date a spouse’s coverage terminates.

You might be able to reach out to your HR and enroll your husband in COBRA if you do it before the 60 days are up.

Note that such coverage is actually retroactive to the date of separation, so you would be on the hook for premiums back to January 1st.

Assuming you know all of his personal information you can probably enroll him without his permission. Once the divorce is final, you can drop the coverage.

The other alternative would be to seek out an insurance agent that handles private health insurance policies.

It’s likely you can find a high deductible plan for him that has catastrophic coverage that, while not exactly affordable, might at least be financially feasible.

[Endri]

Well, he is doing what anyone here would. If that’s what he got to do to keep his health insurance and drag you in court and delay the divorce.

Sometimes emotions shouldn’t come before logic.

And in most cases, it’s the right thing to do to let them have insurance if the split happened not because they harmed you.

[Kim]

Losing his insurance is a qualifying event. He should be able to enroll under a special election period.

[Author]

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